Who's That Girl?
by Kyra Marie
Summary: Being an Alice makes you believe in the impossible, even on reincarnations. But if knowing means people have to die, Nina doesn't know if she should be Nina Takahashi or Mikan Sakura. Chapter 9: Hotaru Imai's first memory of Mikan Sakura.
1. You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine

_**Who's That Girl?**_

_**Disclaimer: **__The writer lawfully respects the prodigious work of Tachibana Higuchi, writer and illustrator of Gakuen Alice._

_**Author's Note: **__This is a remake of my original Who's That Girl, mainly because it was a bit childish, silly, dull and there were grammatical and name errors that confused me, even. I changed some points of the original plot, so I recommend the past readers to bother reading the whole thing again, to avoid perplexity and questioning the obvious yet missed. I also decided to use the Western style with the names, and to cancel the switching of point of views. From now on, they'll be narrated throughout, because frankly speaking, I get confused too, and I haven't mastered the way they talk and act yet, so I'm sticking to a general one._

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**Chapter 1: **_**You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine**_

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Alice Academy, High School Building, Room A-3 **_

Spring blessed Alice Academy with thousands of blooming flowers, breathtaking singing birds, rainbow-colored butterflies, the clear, blue sky and several leaves and cherry blossom petals falling gently on the even ground. On the field and quadrangle, students spend their free time talking and simply having fun, inhaling the natural scent of spring.

The petite brunette sighed as she continued to gaze out the windows. She had always longed to be allowed to go out and be like a normal person— or rather, a normal Alice. Even for someone with an Alice… she wasn't really normal, to be honest. If she were a Latent Ability, or even a Special student, she'd be as average as the next Alice—unique perhaps even, but all the same, normal. But no, she's neither of those, or the rest of the classifications, because she possessed the Alice of Theft and belonged to the Mixed Class. Being in the Dangerous AbilityClass makes her hazardous but important; perilous but safe. That is, until she begins the missions.

And that's another thing that separates her from those of her age. The _missions_: the death penalties she agreed to. Or, moreover, was bribed. She does them, and she lives. It was that simple, they told her. She didn't have to worry about starving to death, or dying from dehydration, or how to treat a gash. The infirmary took care of them, were ready to come to their aide even at the middle of the night or the crack of dawn. They were beyond any other student, higher than them, truly Special Stars. Not that it matters much, that is. The allowance doesn't say much, when they have nothing to waste it on. Simply, they were like business tycoons who're too busy to spend their own money.

But those people have something to look forward to outside of the walls, while she doesn't, and money can't compare with that. The higher-ups researched on her when she was coming around on the infirmary bed three years before. They declared that she has no parents, no relatives, no foster family traced. She was alone in the outside world, but with the rate of her missions she didn't have to worry about what'll become of her after graduation. She lands in the infirmary at least once a week for the past year, and though no one mentioned anything to her, she was sure it wasn't good news. At least, though, while still in the Academy, she had the comforts of being around people who accepted me as a family member: my Mixed Class group. The higher-ups insist that we're one big family in the class, which is true. Most of them (like her), had nothing to look forward to beyond the gates, and there are some that were (same as her state, again) bribed to do so, but in their cases, in exchange for the protection and safety of their loved ones back at home.

She envied them. They have _homes_, not houses. Meanwhile, she was unacceptable. Somehow, she felt like an orphan, took in by the Academy and her Class family. Sure, they were young, but they were more intellect than others, knowing things that those their age shouldn't know. They were weapons for safeguard, but they were still human— they feel, they think. They weren't mere spawns of Alice Academy, and her group made sure to that. They do what the higher-ups want to be done and followed their commands, but they do them _their _way, to show that they weren't just weapons created for their own.

But perhaps the weirdest of all, that actually separates her from any student, is beyond the fact that she has no life outside the Academy or her Alice, but the painful reality that she has no past. Technically, she does, but they were all a big void blurs. She has been living in the Academy for three years, but the remaining were blank. She asked this once to her doctor, and he said she got in an accident in front of the institution, causing her to lose her previous memories, and they never came back. He secretly assured her, though, that they _will _come back, but she's been waiting for half a decade and the most she got were from her nightmares, and they weren't exactly the images she'd want to see every day.

"Nina," Mr. Narumi cut through her thoughts, throwing her back to reality. She immediately looked up to see her blonde teacher glaring at her from his desk. The clock was ticking, and in ten minutes, she needed to submit her Japanese test and move on to Mr. Jinno's horror Math exam. She fidgeted on her seat uncomfortably and bit her lip.

"Nina," he repeated, squirming under the reading glasses he had on, "is something wrong? Are you done?"

She shook her pretty head. "No, I'm good. Last ten."

Narumi nodded serenely and smiled, to which she decided was an assurance. But he knew better. Nina Takahashi wasn't one to stare into space on the course of something vital. She's been trained to _not _do that, and though no one's life was on stake on that exam, her own grades were, and her captain warned her that if she fails one test, she'll stay back on a mission. less than five minutes later, Nina leaped off her seat and handed her sheet to her teacher, to which he started grading.

"Is Serio still after your blood?" he asked without peering up from the paper.

Nina shrugged. "Who knows?"

Within a minute, he handed back her paper with A- marked on the upper right, encircled in red marker. She immediately scanned through the paper. "_Seriously_?"

Narumi shrugged. "Miss one item and you miss the rest of them."

"Damn."

He smiled and handed her the Math exam. "Might want to be extra careful with that. I think Jinno overdid himself this time. He's sore."

"That I never seem to learn anything good from him?"

He shrugged again, his hands clasped together.

"That's exactly what I want him to think. I'm giving this a C."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Faculty Lounge**_

"She's a kid." The man behind the desk remained emotionless when the words escaped his mouth, his eyes bored in their dull shades. He made his hands busy with his blue green tie and patted his dark maroon vest. Narumi, however, was quite expressive than ever, his voice low albeit the obvious exploding emotions.

"She's sixteen," he argued, his fingers tapping against the man's desk. "She's not much of a kid. She's in high school."

His companion peered at him under his glasses and said with a sardonic smile, "The class you're holding are sixteen year olds yet they all act like they're three."

"That's because the only way to change that is to treat them like one," Narumi explained, careful not to lose his temper in front of so many colleagues and students. "I've been asking for a long time, Jinno."

"I'm head of the Elementary Division, Narumi."

"You have connections." he pointed out. Jinno shook his head and Narumi sighed before saying out loud, "You'd rather teach her along with the rest than despise every minute."

It was a clear message.

"I'll do what I can."

_**

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Alice Academy, Technical Lab, Eastern Woods**_

The sun beams basked against Hotaru's pale features, the gleeful spring weather contrast to her own. Sweat glistened against her skin, forming on her forehead and trickling down to the tip of her nose. She moved swiftly, her brain buzzing busily inside her lab. That is, until a soft tune of a beautiful nightingale perching on her window sing started to sing in a familiar tune. She stopped what she was doing, dropped her pencil, and gradually approached the singing bird. It didn't fly away, and when she reached out her hand, it flew to her wrist and continued to comforting melody.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_.

Hotaru had to smile. It was ironic. Random, but ironic.

_You make me happy when skies are gray_.

She looked out the window and admired nature's beauty. Everything was quiet, Piyo wasn't making a ruckus and Mr. Bear hadn't kicked anyone so far to their direction yet. But the Academy wasn't the same. She wondered if it'd even be the way it was again for her.

_You never know dear, how much I love you._

Her best friend: dead at the young age of thirteen. Cause of death: foolishness. Yes, Mikan Sakura was the most, and will forever be the most idiotic girl she had ever known to exist, but she was still her best friend: the person who stayed with her since they were children, who didn't care that she was such an expressionless lady.

_Please don't take my sunshine away._

But that's exactly what they did. They took Mikan away from Hotaru, and she died, under the morning heat of the sun on a warm summer afternoon, in front of a handful of Alices. Hotaru wasn't around. She was meeting an Earl. She knew about it five hours later, when she couldn't do anything except stare at the cold corpse of her best friend underneath her white tomb.

The bird flew away when Hotaru's eyes filled with tears.

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* * *

Alice Academy, Northern Woods**_

"Really?" Ruka asked the brown bird, to which it chirped its reply.

From the other side of the tree, he heard Natsume grumble in annoyance. "I'd appreciate it if you talk in a language I can understand."

"I am." the other replied, to which he only heard silence in return. "Narumi has some news." he declared.

"Hn."

"Which means we need to go to class."

"Hn."

"It's next period, Natsume, and it's in ten minutes."

"Hn."

Ruka sighed and whispered to his friend, "Get me an eagle, please?"


	2. The Girl Who Was Dangerously Normal

**Author's Note: **_I posted this a little earlier without minding the reviews simply because the first chapter was short and dull, and nobody was bound to have checked it out when the only stimulating thing in there was that Mikan died when she was thirteen. :D Anyway, have fun.

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**Chapter 2: **_**The Girl Who Was Dangerously Normal**_

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Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

"You set?"

Nina looked up from the library book and inquired a brow. "With what?"

The girl rolled her pretty brown eyes and plopped down on the grass beside her. She was a petite half-English blonde with a very pretty face, and though she was a sophomore, she looked younger. When she spoke, she gestured to the building palpable a few meters from them, obscured with the trees blocking them from view. "You'll be in a normal class, Nina. Don't you find that exciting?"

"Not much difference, is there?" the brunette replied, eyes still boring on the book.

There was a moment's silence before the older blonde said, "You're nervous, aren't you?" It was not chastising, nor accusing. It was simple, pure, and caring: almost like a sister would regard a smaller sibling on her first day to school. She answered her own question. "Of course you are."

Nina finally closed her book and stared at the building. "Is it difficult, Rue?"

"Making friends? Getting along?" Rue seemed amuse at the worry visible to Nina's eyes. Who would know that such would exist in the Crow's features, albeit the friendly aura? In front of the other Dangerous Ability students, she acted impassive and quiet. They were afraid of her, of her Alice, but they were never at harm with Nina. She was gentle, beautiful, wonderful.

"Being normal." Her voice quivered, and Rue was held back: she blinked. Of course. She should've figured it out all along— _they _should've known. Nina, spunky Nina, was afraid of how her Alice would affect other people. She was worried of the consequences of being in a public place, where so many Alices existed that she might not control herself. She may have looked like a Christmas tree with all the controlling devices, but sometimes, they weren't enough to manage her Alice: always surprising the higher-ups.

And Rue understood why Nina asked her that question. They were Principal students, beyond standard. Their Alices influenced their ranking, never mind the C average on one subject. To top it off, they were dangerous: dangerous, but important. They were precious gems to the Academy; too much to be given away. They had invisible hazardous signs hung around their necks, taped behind their backs. It didn't help them to avoid worrying. She was afraid that she wasn't normal in other's eyes, terrified of being a threat.

"We're only danger to ourselves, Nina. You know that."

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Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

"I still don't know what the big deal is, Natsume," Ruka sighed as he patted little Usagi's small head. He sneaked a glance to his best friend, whose face was buried under a sixty-page comic book. "The assignment wouldn't have been a bother to you."

"That's the thing, Ruka," Natsume replied, his voice muffled as he refused to remove his book. "I'd rather not bother myself with things that I shouldn't be bothered in."

"What's a fifteen-lined paragraph about an alumnus who died three years ago?" He was indeed growing tired of Natsume's continued constant refusal to individual assignments he considered stupid, especially when Mr. Narumi gives them.

"I _knew _him, Ruka. Isn't that enough?" Natsume had pulled out the book from his face and glared straight at the cerulean eyes of his best friend. To say that Ruka was surprised would be a complete understatement. He was clearly shocked over a piece of dreadful information on Natsume's life he had no idea about.

"You _knew _him?" Ruka hissed; his eyes were urgent. "And you didn't _tell _me?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "What, and spare you seven hours in the library? Don't blame me for your being an achiever, Ruka." He was clearly referring to the blonde's three stars, besides the fact that he's had it since they were in Elementary.

Ruka wasn't fooled. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. How did you know him? He was an alumnus, famous for over a decade! Damn it, Natsume, did you _kill _him?"

"It wasn't _me _who sent an electric shock to his body, if that's what you want to know."

"Were you or were you not a member of his Death Team?" Ruka snarled silently.

"I wasn't." Natsume denied. "He worked for the Academy, joining in a couple of missions on my team. Most of the time he was with Frost's."

"He did?" Ruka quickly grabbed his report and flipped the pages, completely forgetting the previous topic. "They didn't mention that…"

"Of course they won't." Natsume muttered. Ruka noticed the tone of voice used and nodded sympathetically. It wouldn't have done the world any good to know that the great novelist Ren Kohaku had killed a handful of people before lying on his deathbed.

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Alice Academy, Faculty Lounge**_

The lounge was quiet, and the teachers were gathered up at the far corner of the room with Nina in the middle, sitting on a couch and drinking tea. She felt like a wrongdoer, since the last time so many teachers were assembled around her was when a mission had gone wrong and they almost killed their subjects (and themselves) in the process. This time, though, the reason was beyond that. She was being lectured on the _do_s and _don't_s around her new classmates. Some students knew there were Alices separated from their classes: special, vital. It wouldn't surprise them to know that Nina has been in the school for a long time, except that she didn't hang around like a normal student. For the most part, she was. It was due to her schedule, including her frequent visits to the infirmary, that she ends up taking all her classes in the afternoon until seven in the evening, at the most. Her mentors didn't complain; they understood, and perhaps that's what sucked so much: they understood.

Mr. Jinno was giving her a rundown on classroom policies. They were all rubbish, in Nina's opinion. She had always been a good girl, staying out of clear trouble. She had no reason to be otherwise. She had a pact: she stays, she lives. They all knew that, and once again, she knew that the faculty understood. Somehow, she wished they didn't. Perhaps a strong one would come forward and defend them, but it was completely idiotic. No one would do that. The Academy's word was law.

It was a couple of minutes later when Mr. Narumi handed her a detailed class schedule, a bundle of books for reference, and her monthly allowance. "You were in the hospital last time, weren't you?" he said with a smile, referring to the two nights she spent lying on a white folding bed and feeling like a geezer with the five different machine tubes glued on her body all those time. She had come back from a mission with thriving results yet carrying awful outcomes. She was in it alone, so she occupied the whole special ward to her own.

"Nina," Ms. Harada came up to her with a beaming smile. She was one of her personal favorites, a few years ahead of her. She handled private Academy files and a couple of times, Ms. Harada tipped her off on information she wasn't spared. It helped her a lot on missions, surprising her seniors. "They'd like to see you in the infirmary at the end of the day."

"What for?" Nina asked as confusion bore over her. She just visited the place the previous night, after coming back from a five-hour long mission with Rue and another sophomore, which again was a success. The medics said there was nothing wrong, and so she was sure she wouldn't be sent back.

The young miss smiled and handed her a small box with a lavender ribbon tied around it. "Your regular check-up." She gestured at the box. "That's a muffin. You didn't eat breakfast, Rue said."

From behind her, Narumi tut in a chastising voice, "You have to stop doing that, Nina. You're in a larger place now." She merely shrugged. "That's all, I think. I'm taking you to your class."

Nina stood up from her chair, set down her half-empty cup, and bowed before the rest before following Narumi's heel, carrying her schedule, her books, her muffin, and her money jingling in her jacket pocket.

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Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

"A transfer student?"

Ears perked up at the words, and books fell down when Mochu stop juggling them into the air for class entertainment.

"Not technically a _transfer _student." Yuu explained, tucking the folder to his right arm and pulling out a piece of paper from the brown envelope inserted in between the folder. "She's one of the special students who were kept a secret. She's been around for almost four years, and has been in and out of the Academy."

"Whoa." Koko whistled, and Yuu nodded gravely, knowing that he got the message, which goes to the rest of the class judging from their similar and close expressions.

"I'll have to make some changes to the class for our new classmate, so…" he approached his class list and three seconds later, continued his unfinished sentence, "I'm separating Hitoshi's trio so Daisuki will stay and… yes, Wakako, you're paired with the new one. So that wraps everything now, doesn't it?" Without saying more, Yuu placed the files back on the envelope and went back to his seat.

Through the years, the class had changed, regardless of how childish majority seemed to act every now and then. They weren't as raucous and wild as they were back in the early years, and they actually listened to their teachers _and _Yuu, their Class Representative for as long as anyone can remember. It wasn't easy, being around so many gifted students, but he managed. He looked out for them, tutored them, and gave advice. He changed, but for the class, he will always be bespectacled Yuu, who got pushed by Mochu when they were eleven, called a teacher's pet, and the straight-A student who frequently saw his parents every few months. It didn't bother them that he got the credit: he did them favors. Whenever he returns, he carried gifts and mails for his classmates, news and sweets. Yuu was the head, the guide.

That's exactly what their class needed: a guide. They were judged to be juvenile-minded, and he frequently quoted what Mr. Narumi had told them before: _The only way to change that is to treat you like adults._ They adored him: he was one-of-a-kind, and he cared. He may have acted weirdly, but he was certainly a nice person. Mr. Narumi was the first teacher, way back, who believed that they _can _be someone in the future, and not just a bunch of kids with a variety of Alices.

The class was buzzing. They hadn't had a new student for quite a time. Most Alices are recognized during a young age, equal to a grade school's year. To be technical, they were having a new _classmate_, but all the same, the thought of an additional comrade who sends flying kicks were rare in the class, set aside Natsume who had been doing missions since he was first admitted to Alice Academy.

"Hey, Natsume," Kitsuneme called as he floated around the room, hands behind his head. "You think you know her?" Heads turned to their direction. It wasn't rare for Natsume to talk in the class anymore, but people still looked up to him like a god. "She's in your Ability Class, after all."

He stared at Kitsuneme for quite a time before shrugging and putting his comic book back on his face. "Must be a reserve."

_**

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Alice Academy, Faculty Lounge**_

"I still haven't figured out why Kazu agreed on this," Mr. Misaki commented, buttering his toast for his morning snack. "Consequences are well on their way."

"The Principals have their reason." Ms. Yamada replied serenely, taking a sip of her tea. "They always have."

"And the reason here?" prodded Mr. Fukutan as he stared out the glass windows.

"Who knows? The Academy keeps secret, even to us."

Another teacher had joined the conversation. "To think they should've at least informed us."

"Nina Takahashi must branch out, reach to her fellows."

"If she gets along with them, she will have a reason to fight for something."

"Nina doesn't need a reason." Nodacchi said, the usual smile nothing but a mere grim ghost in his present features. "She understands."

"We can't complain. It'd be best to leave the matter alone."

"Yes, but whatever the Principals have decided," sensible Mr. Makihara muttered, "She can't help but be sixteen."

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Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

Nina pursed her lips as she tried not to look down. The class was staring at her quietly and it made her uncomfortable. She had introduced herself, but to add precaution, Mr. Narumi noted that she wore enough controlling devices to prevent accidental use of her Alice. Yuu stood beside her, who was discreetly looking.

"Don't stare like she's for display," Narumi joked, "You'll get too used."

It snapped many back to attention, including Yuu, and so he introduced himself and presented her new partner.

"Hi, I'm Wakako Usami." The dark-haired girl smiled and held out her hand. "Teleportation Alice."

Nina smiled and shook her hand. "Have you expanded?"

Wakako was confused. "Expanded?"

"Your Alice," Nina gestured at her and repeated the question. "Have you expanded?"

"I'm learning, if that's what you mean. Let's take a seat." She guided Nina to their desk on the fourth row near the windows, beside Koko and Sumire's and behind Mochu and Kitsuneme's. She took the seat and set down her things. Sumire rose from her chair and perched on Nina's side of the desk, then took the small box. "A muffin?"

"I haven't eaten." She explained, her voice pleasant. She was still new to meeting new people. After all, she was a preteen when she made friends with her Mixed Class team, who didn't turn out so bad. They welcomed her like she was a member of the family. She was the youngest in the team. They trained with her, spent time with her. It wasn't really hard to be with people like that.

"Are you going to eat it?" Sumire prodded.

Nina shook her head and said, "You can have it." She watched Sumire toss the muffin to Koko, whose eyes gleamed with delight. Suddenly realizing something, she asked, "Are you Somatic?"

Wakako laughed. "She doesn't have X-ray vision, if you're thinking that. She has a weird one. The Cat-Dog Alice." She emphasized the ability by snarling like a cat and clawing her hands.

Sumire winked. "Weird, but quite useful."

"I don't think it's weird at all." Nina's voice was suddenly low. "We were out-smarted with that." The Alice reminded her of a mission a few months back, when someone of the same Alice had caught them off guard and were surprised by the opponent, even after passing the security measures in the entrance.

"Ahh." The two nodded understandingly; Sumire then joked, "No worries, I have no plans of joining the dark side."

"Settle down now!" Mr. Makihara came up to the class and pointed at students. "Sumire, off the table. Kitsuneme, come back down. Back to your seat, Yura." They obliged and many sat on their chairs. When he was satisfied, Mr. Makihara grabbed a chalk and wrote CURRENT EVENTS. "We're starting a new unit: history in the making."

"We're not _outside _the school, Sir." Yuu had raised his hand. "How can we study something we're not involved in?"

"You misheard me, Yuu." Makihara smiled. "I said, _history in the making_."

"We can achieve that… how, exactly?" Mochu asked, not bothering to hide his bewilderment.

"Alice alumni are exceptional people," the teacher began, walking around the room. "Majority of those in society are people with Alices. We excel in arts, lead in politics, first in demands. We do great things, becoming the best of the bests in our own fields. We are beyond normal human expectations, astounding them with our Alice. We are not just a mere part of history." He paused at the middle of the room and continued in a clear voice, "We make them."

* * *

Four hours later, the bell rang to signify lunch period. Majority immediately dashed to the door, eager to get out of Mr. Jinno's sight. The lesson seemed to have stretched for hours, and they were starving. Nina stayed a little behind, fixing her things. She had befriended Nonoko, who had the Alice of Chemistry and Anna, who bore the Cooking Alice and happened to be in good terms with Miruku, during Makihara's class.

"Do you want to have lunch with us?" Anna invited her as they went out the room with Nonoko. She held up a brown paper bag. "I baked sweets."

"No, thank you," Nina denied politely, shifting two Biology books to her other arm. "I'm having lunch with some people."

This caught her off. "Oh, really?" It was rhetorical, but she was answered nonetheless.

Nina nodded. "I'll see you later. Bye." She waved and turned around, letting them watch her retreating back just as Hotaru joined the two-thirds of the Geeky Sisters.

"Lunch with _who_?" Nonoko asked to no one in particular as they walked to the cafeteria, Sumire and Wakako talking in the background.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Quadrangle**_

Nina slid down on the bench and placed the books beside her. The quad was a place not far from the cafeteria and not too close to the woods. From across her, Rue tossed an apple, to which she keenly munched on. Since she didn't eat the muffin, she was starving.

"How was your morning?" she was asked moments later as she drowned the red fruit with a can of soda.

Nina shrugged and bit on her apple again. "Good."

"Did you make friends?" Rue prodded, shaking her bottle of energy drink before taking a sip.

"Wakako, Teleportation," Nina ticked off one finger and counted, "Cat-Dog Sumire with perm-y hair; Anna, Cooking Alice; the Chemist, Nonoko; Class Representative and Illusionist Yuu, and Sumire's mind-reader boyfriend, Koko. I only spared him a glance, though."

The senior raised an eyebrow. "You didn't need to tell me their Alices."

The statement was ignored. "Do you know any of them?"

"The Koko guy and Sumire were the talk a few years back, when they first got together, before you got into the Academy." Rue explained. "I heard they're best friends. The cook and the chemist, plus the girl with short jet-black hair— she's in your class, too, the genius? — they're Technical students, the Geeky Sisters, they're called. No one can miss the Class Representative. He's the whiz, isn't he? Looked like a girl when he was in Elementary."

Nina tossed the apple core to a bin with a clang. "There's a boy in my class. Serio's cat, isn't he?"

"I forgot about him, the Black Cat," Rue muttered, then teased her junior, "Best known as your little competition on the other team."

"He's no competition."

"I bet he isn't." The new voice made Nina look up. "How was the new class so far, Crow? And who's the competition?"

The guy who spoke had sleek, shoulder-length silver hair, held together with a black band. His eyes were a deep purple, and he had awfully pale skin, almost as if he had lost blood. He wore a grin on his perfectly chiseled face, his teeth a perfect set of pearly whites, and, like his two juniors, adorned with countless controlling devices. He was on his last year in the Academy, yet he didn't look like he was.

Behind him was a senior girl, with long black hair pulled together in a messy bun. She resembled an Asian film star in the making, with a small but pointed nose and long eyelashes. The only thing in the way of her stardom was the cotton plaster on her left eye. There were hints of blood on the bandage, and Nina dared to ask before Rue can, ignoring the senior guy's question.

"What happened to your eye?"

Her lips twitched, and the guy laughed before answering for her, "Accident during training. Shizuka was, apparently, dazzled by my sudden appearance."

"And how exactly did you make an entrance this time?" Rue was equally entertained. The two seniors were up before dawn and were doing their regular training, but since the remaining of the team were on a mission, they were spared. "An ice bomb?"

"He overdid himself," Shizuka said, sliding on the bench beside Nina. "He made an ice rink out of the tiles."

"And it affected you _how_, exactly?" the youngest was afraid to ask, but she was curious all the same.

"Slipped," she paused evilly, "and hit my eyelid on the machine. Minor, but it's still bleeding."

"Akira apparently wants to leave a legacy." Rue rolled her eyes. "Being a senior and all that."

"I'm afraid it's not changing anything," he sighed dramatically. "I'm still the same old, intermittent cold Alice." He paused. "I'd rather be melting hot, though."

"Not happening." Nina said before emptying her soda and crushing it with a loud hit with her hands. Rue and Shizuka laughed; Akira was uncomfortable. He may be older than Nina but she was equally terrifying.

"Anyway," he tried to change the subject, "what were you saying before the Chief blessed you with his godly presence?"

Nina ignored the last bit. "The Black Cat on Tarou's team? Rue reckons he's competition."

"You _are _on the same year…" Akira muttered as he rubbed his chin. He waved a hand. "Ah, but who cares? No Cat can stand against a Crow."

"You sure have a lot of faith on me, Chief Frost."

He shrugged. "You're inheriting the name in two years. I don't think Rue will stand a chance."

"I have no intentions." The subject raised her hands, as if caught red-handed by the police. "Takahashi can have the job all to herself."

"This little twit?" A guy joined in the quad table, completing their circle, their group. He was in Rue's year, with messy dark hair that stuck to various directions and pale blue eyes. He had a small cut on his cheek and the ghost of blood was dry. He carried the cut like pride, as he always does. He was with Rue and Nina the previous night on the mission, thus the wound. He ruffled the brunette's hair. "This Thief can be anyone."

"I would really appreciate it if you stop doing that, Jun," she snarled, and the sophomore withdrew his hand.

"Sorry, kid."

"I'm _sixteen_, Midori, or are you still stuck in time?"

There was a sad and meaningful smile on his face. "Wish I was, kid."

It was ironic, not just because of his Alice, but the words had caught them dead. He was right. It was as if what the Academy wanted them to be: lifeless before graduation. But what made his words sardonic was because he and Shizuka had the fourth shape— limitless. It would've been completely understandable if it was her, but it got two upperclassmen. There was a great possibility that they would lose two great warriors in their five-man team.

Life can be so unfair, Nina thought. They insist on taking the good ones first, and the Academy wasn't making it easier for them to accept death.

* * *

"I can't see…" Anna muttered, trying to keep a low profile even though she keeps craning her neck every now and then.

Hotaru was blunt and unsympathetic. "You don't _have _to see." She spooned the last of her crab roe and ate without expression.

"Why are we even doing this?" Koko dared to ask. When he found out that they were going to do a little prying, he couldn't hold back. He did snap a controlling device wristlet on his right, but every so often he had the constant temptation to continue one of his childhood games: snooping.

"Because she's suspicious." The answer was, again, frank.

"How is she suspicious?" Mochu muttered, watching Kitsuneme fly around the quad yet near to the subject. "She's as normal as you or I! Well, more of my part, because really, Hotaru, you're not actually normal yourself."

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

"Whatever you say." Mochu sighed and continued to play with his food. He didn't like macaroni that much and he wondered why he even got it in the first place. Koko sat beside him, his arms around Sumire's shoulder, who was talking to Wakako and Nonoko. Anna was still sneaking some glances but she joined their conversation not long after. Kitsuneme returned moments later, rubbing his head, and so Mochu looked up in question.

"Bumped on a tree." The injured muttered, to which he received a snicker from both guys. "You can laugh now but as far as my memory can go, you hit yourself with a—"

"What's going on here?" Ruka had arrived with Usagi on his arms, along with Natsume who looked extremely bored.

"Something." Koko had answered, grinning. When Ruka shrugged, he gestured at the quad table not too far from them. "Hotaru's stalking the new girl."

"I'm not _stalking_," she clarified, "I'm…curious."

"Good luck with her." Ruka muttered as he and Natsume slid on the bench. "Where's Yuu?", he asked the lot.

"I can't remember," Nonoko admitted truthfully, "But I told him we'll be here."

"Oh, he's here."

Yuu had approached the table with his lunch tray and a book bag hung around his shoulders. "Hey, guys, I have some news." Everyone on the table looked up; he had that effect since middle school. But perhaps it's also because of his loyalty and kindheartedness that made people look up to him, though not in the manner they do with the two sought-after guys across him. Yuu was approachable and friendly— simply put, a package tied in a ribbon.

"They're giving away free lunch?" Kitsuneme asked.

"No."

Koko decided to pipe in and tried to be hopeful. "Makihara will cancel his paper?"

Yuu`frowned. "How did you know about the paper?" Koko merely grinned.

"I won the lottery?" Mochu ventured excitedly.

Yuu was baffled even more. "There was a lottery? That's not even allowed."

"No."

At that, the Class Representative shook his head at his friends' responses. "No, they're celebrating the Festival a week early." Just as he had expected, there was a mixture of response, parallel and contrast to each, but the two Somatics' voices drowned their reactions with a similar loud cry: "_What_?!"

"I thought you'd be positive about this." Yuu said, taken aback.

"You would, if you're not in Narumi's class…" Ruka muttered. He and Sumire shared the same glum expression, who buried her face to her hands, "I'm going to die!"

"You're overstating a small matter," Yuu chewed his beans and swallowed. "I made a proposal with the board to allow us to perform a different presentation."

"Wonderful, Yuu, just what we need." Ruka's tone was acerbic and cynical. He glanced at his best friend, who remained blank throughout the news. It made sense. Dangerous Ability Students weren't required to participate in the sense that goes along with everyone. Often times, they were assigned out of the Academy, on a mission, or simply lookouts within the school that would extend for hours and surpass the time allotted for the Festival. Either, they were rarely a part of the celebration, and Natsume was no exception.

"I think we need it," Anna piped in, her voice friendly yet sympathetic. "We only have a couple more years; at the very least we should start hanging out more as a class."

Nonoko thought about it for a minute and agreed. "Anna's right. After graduation, we'll all turn to different ways. We should go for it."

"But we still need to participate with the Classes," Sumire voiced herself out, "And count on Mr. Narumi to make it hard for the Somatic Class."

"It'll be fun, though," Wakako pressed on. "I'm sure it will."

Yuu abandoned his meal for a moment and pulled out a form from his book bag. It was similar to a petition form, and there was a table with two columns: _Name _and _Signature_. He had already signed the first block. "If I can get the whole class to agree before the day ends, it can happen."

"You should get going, then," Anna gestured at the clock tower near their dormitories. "After lunch, most will be difficult to track, with electives and all."

He nodded gravely and proceeded to his lunch after passing out the form and a pen to the table. "Come on guys, sign it." It didn't take long for the girls to put their names down on the form, although it took a bit of compromising and a lot urging for Sumire to give up her side and sign. She had just dotted her _i _with hearts before throwing an apologetic glance towards Ruka. Hotaru had written down her name, though she remained quiet while the rest chattered about possible presentations. Koko, Mochu and Kitsuneme wrote theirs without hesitation. Ruka was the issue, but he gave in when Natsume grabbed the paper and signed. The whole table was watching him silently, and when the last stroke was done, he looked up to see their faces. His lip twitched.

"Your turn, Ruka." He shoved the form towards, and having no choice with the unmistakable glares and grins from his friends, defeated Ruka wrote his quite grudgingly.

"Thanks," Yuu beamed and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "That's eleven down."

"Why don't you ask Takahashi?" Hotaru suddenly said, noting the table. "She's still one vote."

"Right," Yuu stood up and grabbed his book and placed his tray on a push cart near the bin. He felt people watching, and he knew it wasn't just the people sitting on the table he just left behind. He had seen the particular Dangerous Ability group hanging around the quad often, though he never got to talk to him before. In fact, it was a first that he was approaching them as a choice. He could've just waited for Science, which he was taking with Nina along with other more classmates, but heaven knows why he wanted it _now_. Perhaps, even as a good Class Representative, he was curious of her too. She was an Academy jewel to be given such privileges and honor. He wondered why he never heard of her, but thinking back, he must have, but her identity was probably masked with her code name.

As he got nearer, he was able to make up their pretty faces if not of the wounds. He saw the dark-haired guy, who he knew as a sophomore, nudge Nina, whose back was turned. The whole table looked up, and Yuu felt his face flush. He didn't enjoy being a spectacle to a group of Alices who can send him flying to the woods. "Nina," he greeted her, to which she nodded in reply.

"What's up?" Yuu explained, still feeling uncomfortable with the four pairs of eye-piercing glares practically looking through him. "I'll sign it." Nina did not hesitate; she fished a pen from her pocket and did so. "I've never been a part of the Festival," she said quite cheerfully, "This might be interesting."

The Class Representative smiled kindly and was handed the form. When he waved goodbye, though, it wasn't farewell yet for Jun, who walked by him with his hands on his head, wearing a satirical smile. "You're quite small, aren't you, Yuu?"

"Uh, I guess so." He didn't point out that Jun was ludicrously tall and lean for his age.

Jun wanted to start an easy conversation. "How's Nina doing in class?" They had to turn the other way; a handful of middle school were blocking the shortest path back to Yuu's table, who, he expects, had eyes watching his every move with the handsome comedic.

"She made friends, generally speaking."

"What about that Hyuuga kid?"

He was suddenly suspicious. Why was he curious? "As far as conversations go, they haven't yet."

"So mostly staring, right?" It was confirmed with a nod. Jun chortled."That's Crow to you."

"Excuse me?" Yuu was confused. What the hell was this sophomore saying?

Jun grinned. "Nothing." They had almost reached the table. "I'm Jun, by the way." Yuu turned to him to acknowledge he's heard, but then the older guy had an unmistakable sneaky grin on his face. "And tell Hotaru Imai that the best source is the Academy records." With no more but a wave, he chuckled and strolled back to their table, the middle school students suddenly parting at the sight of him.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

"I'm telling you, she's not normal."

"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Koko!" Hotaru cracked, thoroughly annoyed. They were walking back to class for Biology. "What's in it for you if her thoughts are too fast?"

"Because I _can't _read it!" The mind-reader had felt like a helpless lump of potato. Earlier, when Yuu went to talk to Nina, he removed his wristlet and tried to listen to her thoughts under the inventor's orders and firm gaze. "Simply put, that is."

"And that was simply put _how_?" Mochu snickered.

He scowled. "Wise guy."

Wakako patted tried to be positive for his Latent friend and patted him on the back. "Cheer up, Koko. She's not the first one who doesn't have normal thoughts."

"Yeah," Mochu grinned, nudging Kitsuneme. "If you listen to mine and say it out loud, you'll get detention."

"You're not helping, Mochu." Yuu shook his head. He regarded the downtrodden Koko. "You're not losing your Alice, if that's what you're worrying about. You're past the age."

"I'm not comfortable with being dense, thank you very much," he muttered truthfully, "I'm just not."

Yuu understood what Koko meant; he was used to knowing practically everything in the Academy, or to a much lesser degree, around him. He may be diffuse-shaped, but it doesn't change the fact that his Alice drove him nuts. A few times before, he couldn't even control them: the thoughts just keep coming and coming until they gobble him up and spit him to insanity. As a result, he approached Mr. Narumi and begged for a controlling device, to which he snapped on by himself. It was fun and comforting that he wasn't being garbled up by someone's mind, but it made him mostly oblivious, especially with Sumire.

He did not need a complication right now but he was obviously getting it.

* * *

"No." Yuu was firm. There was no way he'd let them, for a better word, _look _into the students' records. Class day was technically not over, not until six, and they had an hour more to spare. If he affirmed with their plan, it was most likely that he'd be the first one to get in trouble. The class was his responsibility; that was his job as the Class Representative. He was the president. If anything goes wrong before five, he'd be the one held accountable.

They were, however, not making it easy for him.

"Who more to ask than the school genius?" Koko urged him, and was given a negative response. "Come on, Yuu, don't go around being… well, Yuu."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It'd be a piece of cake," Kitsuneme put in as he cast a shadow upon them. "You're the Class Representative. You can make anything up and they'll believe you."

"I don't think we're even allowed to do that." Anna piped in, and then added, "Look into the records, I mean."

"Isn't that private stuff?" Nonoko asked. Before he could answer, though, Hotaru cut him off.

"Just one look, Yuu, and that's all we need." He couldn't even believe it was her idea. She had always been the sensible one. Mentally, he blamed the sophomore for suggesting such a thing and to himself for repeating it. In the first place, he wouldn't have known that Hotaru would actually do it, for obvious reasons.

He didn't care that he was being a stickler to the rules. "You want me to _break _into the students' records," he said incredulously, still failing to meet the sense of all of it, "I'm going to get suspended, and I'll be stripped off! You want that to happen?"

"They're not," Mochu was all smiles. "When I did that, they gave me detention."

"You did _what_?!" How come he didn't know about it? He wondered what else he didn't know, and he wanted to start with Mochu.

"It was for a project!" the levitator was defensive. "A project, I tell you!"

"If it was, you wouldn't have needed to break in!"

"Being sneaky adds the thrill with last-minute reports."

"Of course." He rubbed his temple. They were getting nowhere. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Hotaru's purple ones intently staring at him.

"You're doing this because her name will be filed under'T'." she reasoned, "It saves us the time, and besides, they trust you."

"And they don't you?" He added then as an afterthought, "That's still lying."

"Well, tell them you want a background on each person in the class, then." She raised a sardonic brow. "It doesn't matter _how_ you get them, Yuu. What matters more is that you _have _them." She paused. "Rather, _will have_."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Library**_

"Oh no." Wakako whispered in haste hurriedly. "Oh, no, no, no."

Nina bit back a laugh. "Excuse me?" She was just asking if Natsume felt as cold as he looks. Her eyes gazed over him in question as she pushed the third library book back on a shelf. He was on a table with a grey-haired Elementary student, whose body was turned against them. Sumire and Wakako had both been kind enough to assist her to the library.

"You can _not _look at Natsume Hyuuga like that." Sumire started making a 'no-no' gesture with her forefinger.

She was confused. How could anyone think of another guy when she has a boyfriend? "But I thought…?"

Suddenly, Sumire giggled silently. "We're playing with you."

"Right." She shook her head. She realized she enjoyed being in a normal class, around people her age. It was difficult to live in the shadows for years, in the background like a ghost hanging over.

"You've heard of him, of course?"

Nina rolled her eyes at the incredulous words. "He's an icon, isn't he?"

Sumire had on a smug look on her face. "You're talking to the President right now." Then, a postscript came on her mind. "Well, _ex-_President. Wakako's still a supporter."

"I don't hang at his every word, though," she wrinkled her nose. "I feel like I've gotten too used to his presence."

"What can you say about him?" Nina prodded. She was curious. She had never talked about Natsume before, and neither did she think she'll ever see the day that she will. As far as she was concerned, he was Serio's spawn and since she didn't like him, it was only understandable that she never bothered to ask about Natsume. Now that they were in the same class, though, it was impossible not to wonder about Boy Wonder.

"He's a natural charmer."

"And obviously gorgeous. Have you touched those muscles?"

"But then again, we're biased."

"Everyone agrees, though."

Nina rolled her eyes. "Right, I get the part that he's a drop dead hottie. Anything else?"

"He doesn't look at anyone."

"He has eyes, Sumire. They may be red and creepy, but they're still eyes."

"Not like that," Sumire rolled hers and laughed. "I mean, he's a hotshot heartbreaker fending off all the attention, and believe me, the amount he's getting isn't nothing."

**

* * *

Author's Note: **_This is still a revision of the original plot, and I'd really love to hear from the readers. Any comments on how it is so far? Ü_


	3. She Who Had Spunk

**Chapter 3: **_**She Who Had Spunk **_

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Infirmary**_

"That's it, Nina, that's it," she heard someone say in a soothing voice, "Easy now…" She heard a soft whir, but she didn't dare open her eyes. She didn't need to. The sound was all-too familiar, having heard it countless of times before. "Clear your mind, Nina. Relax."

Just as she had suspected, she felt a short pang of pain enter her body, spreading from head to toe, pushing through her skull. It felt like a migraine, only worse. It was too much; she wanted to shout, wanted to flick her eyes open, to push them all away and run. She wanted to escape the Academy, but she couldn't. No matter how cruel it seemed, it was her only _home_, with people who weren't afraid of her.

She waited a little longer; it wouldn't be too painful. She was supposedly numb to the pain, but it went through her. What hurts was the fact that she went through it regularly. It was excruciating. She thought she heard someone shaking a bottle; and then, she felt someone pinch her arm and something thin and long and sharp— a syringe, she told herself— pierce her skin. They rarely use anesthesia. She has to be used to the sting, and she was, but she didn't want to. She had no plans of being invulnerable. Being so will make the Academy crave for her more.

"Open your eyes," she was commanded minutes later, yet it felt like hours. She blinked, trying to make up the things around her, but she couldn't with the lamp practically shoved to her face.

"May you please put that away?" She tried to be polite, but these people were far from being. Only one of them, in all those years, had earned her full respect.

The doctor with the soothing voice came forward with a rather amused smile. Nina's sight gradually came back. He was a young man with deep plum eyes and well-kept dark hair. He had a scholarly nature, as doctors often should, with his glasses perched on his nose and the white clipboard he held on one arm. "Don't exert yourself now," he said.

"I won't," Nina promised with a reassuring smile. Yes, there was only one person she'd trust her life on. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. She had always been there, the special ward for the Dangerous Ability students. Machines were lined up in one corner, and on the other were medicines and files piled neatly in closets, drawers and tables. Outside the single window, she saw that the sun was setting. "Have you seen Rue and Jun yet?" she asked.

"They've gone." He said shortly. He ticked his clipboard. "It seems that you haven't gotten much sleep since your last mission."

"I would have," Nina defended herself, "if I wasn't moved to a regular class so soon."

The doctor leaned against the edge of her folding bed like a young teenager would, bearing once again an amused smile. "You make it sound like it's a bother."

"No, not actually," then she added in an afterthought, "You didn't tell me you have a sister."

There was a strange, almost aggrieved glint in his eyes. "You never asked."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Main Building**_

"Ruka, you do it."

"No."

"Koko!"

"Can't help you with this, Yuu."

"Kitsu?"

"Sorry, pal."

"Mochu, I bailed you out many times before."

"Friends don't count, do they?"

"What am I saying?" Yuu was beside himself. His friends held no mercy, particularly Hotaru. She sat gracefully on a bench outside the Academy's main building, while the rest of them stood around except Natsume who sat beside her, looking uninterested and uncaring. "Hotaru, you can't force me to break a rule!"

"Watch me." Hotaru had always respected Yuu, and he was the same to her, but there were times like these when she was being her old commanding self. Then again, they were both Class Representatives, so it was a mere fact that she was the cold-blooded vice-president, and he was the kind president.

"Breaking into private documents is an offense I don't want in my record," he said heatedly, yet keeping calm, "and I prefer to keep it that way."

Mochu rolled his eyes at his reply. "Come on, Yuu. Sooner or later, you have to break a rule. It's part of life."

"Then I'd rather it be not _now_," was his stern reply. He was being a stickler to the rules, he knew, but as far as he was concerned, he wanted a clean record until he graduates.

"I hate Yuu when he's being Yuu." Koko sighed dramatically, shaking his head like he lost someone dear. "He becomes a mother hen."

"I'm looking out for you guys," Yuu said, defending his side, "One toe out of line is going to look bad in your records."

"You're the only one who cares about records." Kitsuneme pointed out, grinning.

Mochu, who tried to steer away just in case he suffers another chastising lesson, decided it was safe to pipe in after all. "Besides, if you really want to look out for us, you'll spare us the trouble."

"Even if it means putting _your _toe out of the line." Hotaru concluded. It was quite rare of her to join forces with the trio when they were being impossible and were annoying Yuu, but the quip was too tempting. And anyways, what they were saying were well-thought, if she does say so herself. She then clucked her tongue in rare humor, "Come on, Mother Hen. Do your job and spare your chicks."

Yuu bit his lip. He didn't like doing things he shouldn't. He especially didn't like it when he's doing it because of brute force. He had always been in charge, but of course, there were times when everyone overpowered him and he had to. Finally, he sighed and gave in. "Note it that I'm doing this against my will."

"Whatever you say, Mother Hen."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

"Something's wrong…" Shizuka muttered, turning to the next page of the list of assignments that week. Looking up, she met Akira's gaze. "Nina's not in _any _of these missions."

Akira nodded; that was indeed an alarm. Nina had always been on her feet at least twice a week. Her bravado and insistence took her that far to earn the Academy's respect. "These are missions she's most likely to be in, at that."

Jun swung his legs and hung upside-down in the tree branch. "They're probably saving her up for something big. Besides, Crow's starting up her life."

"That doesn't explain why she's blanked out for a _week_," Shizuka said, throwing the list aside. "I thought they'd pressure her more now that Akira and I are in our last year."

Rue literally jumped in the conversation. _Her leaps have improved,_ Akira noted. "How about the Hyuuga kid?"

"Hyuuga?" Jun repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "He's for individual missions."

Rue shrugged, and so Shizuka once again flipped the papers on the clipboard. "He has both the syndicate cases and the basement," she reported seconds later.

"I thought the basement was Ibaragi's?" Akira suddenly asked, "Hyuuga's bound to screw up if there are flammable chemicals around him."

"Ibaragi's on sick leave," Jun explained, still dangling from the branch, "She was injured last night." It wasn't a friendly sight, or something he'd like to be stamped on his mind, but the medics didn't go all the way to hide her from their sights in the first place.

Akira shook his head in disgust. "Serio's out of his mind, sending an Ice Alice to Africa. She probably wanted to cool every wild animal in sight."

"She maxed out, I heard," Rue prompted and then added in a cynical tone, "Accidentally freezing an old man to death in the desert must've been bad in her record."

"Yeah, well, that's something Nina will do," Jun snorted, "That kid has a heart of gold."

Akira sighed. "It won't look good in her record either. She's too fearless for her own good." Glancing at the clock tower practically obscured with the leaves, he got up and the rest followed suit. "Come on, it's almost dinner. Nina's probably starving."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Infirmary**_

Nina yawned, impatient for her doctor to arrive. She wanted to have dinner, barely eating anything at all the whole day, but he reckoned he needed to check a few more of tests. She didn't know if it mattered; they always wanted to check on her, see if she was doing well. She admittedly liked the concern, but some bitter feeling told her that it wasn't the same. She pushed this back, however, and dragged herself back to the ward. It was quiet except for the sounds of the machines lined up and the normal beating of her heart.

The door opened moments after, and her doctor walked in with his clipboard tucked in his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"You ask that to someone who's actually sick, you know." Nina rolled her eyes. She had always been comfortable with people she trusted, which is few.

He gave out a small laugh. "You seem to be in good shape, considering. It's quite a turn to see your other friends more hurt than you are."

"Akira's being a show-off, getting Shizuka hurt," she counted off with her fingers, "Jun was clumsy last night, but I think Rue and I are fine."

"You think, now?" His smile was sardonic. "Neither of you were last night."

"We were tired!" Nina defended herself, and then crossed her arms stubbornly. "Fine! You can go to the other side of the country and kick butts then! I want to see you hit them with your stethoscope!"

"I was kidding," he chuckled, ruffling her unruly hair. "Get up, you lazy thing. Dinner's waiting."

She rolled her eyes but got up anyway.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Main Building**_

"I can't believe I did it." Yuu whispered to himself, burying his face to his hands. "I should report myself for this."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Natsume shook his head, the hint of a smile clear. He didn't need to hide the fact that he was enjoying it; everyone did, even he, who rarely talked but obviously knew how. Apparently, hanging out with his friends forced him to make comments, kind or not, every now and then.

Ruka was being good-natured about the whole thing. "Nice job, Yuu. Very nice."

"You are devils," Yuu muttered, still shocked over the fact that he 'broke' in.

Koko, who had removed his controlling device to celebrate the Class Representative's and heard what he was thinking, twittered, "Not technically. You asked about her records. They gave it to you."

"Yes, for the wrong reasons!" Yuu groaned.

"And for what reason do you call this?" Hotaru asked, flipping through the documents. She had gotten hold of it right after Yuu came out of the building.

Ruka laughed. "Nice to see Hotaru bullying someone else for a change."

"At my expense!" Yuu complained.

"Oh, stop it, Yuu," Mochu rolled his eyes and patted him on the back. "This is my proudest day," he exclaimed, pretending to wipe a tear, "Good ol' Yuu finally broke a rule!"

"Get a grip, Yuu," Hotaru said as she stood up and gathered the files. "Dinner's served."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Dining Hall**_

Utensils clanged against plates and platters, yet barely obscured with the conversations sparking inside the cafeteria. It was not a rare sight; they've been the Academy almost as long as the others have, but they've always kept such a low profile. Right then, though, they were anything but. The attention, however, didn't seem to have even affected the slightest discomfort to the five-man team, until Jun noticed.

"People are staring," he commented dryly, toying with his peas.

Shizuka straightened a little on her seat, just in time to see a handful of high school freshmen looking over their table. She laughed a little and shook her head. "They never paid Nina much attention before."

Nina looked up from her plate, surprise written all over her face. "What?"

"You're a celebrity in the making, Crow," Akira chuckled as well. "You're a Special Star, in the Dangerous Ability Class, and you're a secret."

"I thought I wasn't?'

"That doesn't matter." Akira waved her words off. "You're a prodigy in the making. You already are, actually."

Rue pursed her lip, amusement flickering in her eyes. "So is the Hyuuga kid."

Jun snorted. "Yeah, but he doesn't have four awesome upperclassmen training him."

"You don't train me," Nina scoffed, "I'd like to see you try."

"Whatever, kid." Jun grinned, making the other scowl. The typical banter helped lift the agitation; they weren't used to too much attention from the Academy. As far as the rest of the student body was concerned, they were simply doing their jobs. That was it. They were never approached or asked how they got a cast or sported a bruise. After all, they were _Dangerous _Ability students. The class name said it all. The things they do and have done cost their life.

There were some, however, who were rarely buried under tittle-tattles or unwanted rumors. Everyone steered of their way; normal Alices do that. They were either class reserves or under Rei Serio's pseudo-care, whose reputation was as deadly as his Alice. He punished severely, rarely giving lectures, and never seemed to care much about any of the students' safety. He sent them off to missions like Jack throwing the beanstalks carelessly out the window, into the open, to the world.

And so as young as seven or ten, they saw what the outside was like. They witnessed, caused, and stopped death. They were godly. They were fluky. But they are also human: fortunate beings who escaped death's grasps by inches; grieving people over the captured; and Alices who loved and cared— and sometimes, even more than a comrade should.

In the simplest and sneakiest way, Jun lifted his eyes a bit, focusing on a pair of alluring dark brown eyes and wondered how her flowing hair would feel in his hands. He continued to marvel at his own thoughts, until Nina flicked a couple of her green peas at his forehead with a grin.

* * *

"You can't expect me to believe that." Sumire raised her eyes at her boyfriend, who simply gave her a nonchalant smile.

He said, "Is it that impossible?"

"Yuu Tobita breaking a rule?" Wakako snorted. "You're kidding me."

"I'd say I'll show you evidence, but I have none." Mochu grinned widely. "He'll kill me."

"I don't think he'll do that."

Mochu's eyes widened, quickly glancing at Yuu before looking back at them and stage-whispered, enough for the whole table to hear, "Have you heard him in his Mother Hen mode? Ten times worse."

"Why did you do it in the first place?" Anna asked the lot.

Mochu tilted his head at Koko, who shrugged and turned to Kitsuneme. The latter looked at Yuu, who sighed and said, "Because Hotaru wanted us to."

"So you're scared of Hotaru?"

"No, I'm not. She… she…" He thought of a better-sounding word than _blackmail_. "She's merely intimidating and respectable."

"But _you're _also intimidating and respectable," Nonoko pointed out.

"Yeah," Mochu snickered, "like a Mother Hen."

"This Mother Hen jokes are way overboard," Yuu suddenly scolded, "I'm looking after you guys. Setting a good example is one thing."

"You are, Yuu," Ruka comforted him, "You're… satisfying our curiosity."

There was a moment's silence until the Class Representative sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even going to challenge that one."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Dormitory**_

Hotaru tapped her fingers against the desk in a rhythmic sound, her brows furrowed in concentration and curio. The photocopied files were piled neatly, but she was holding Nina Takahashi's Student Investigation form for quite some time. She couldn't bring herself to it, but there was something weird, if not wrong, with the special student, and the information didn't elaborate. There was her background, though, that was hastily scribbled in a note-like, slapdash fashion, as if it was recently added. She thought all student files were formally written, carefully typed and cleanly printed.

_Nina was found by Mr. Narumi during security when she was twelve-and-a-half years old, _it had said, _She was hit by a car and when he had come to her aid, she was unhurt. Nina has no family or relatives outside the Academy and is closely watched by the higher ups. She has no memory of her previous years due to the accident. _

There was also a short newspaper clipping from _Alice Times_.

_New Student meets Accident_was the headline, and barely decipherable, Hotaru squinted to read the report. _Latest talk about is that an elementary student got hit by a truck outside Academy premises. Investigations went as far to inform witnesses that the student is fine and was barely hurt. This thus arouses a lot of questioning and a Hypnosis Alice had to be unleashed to the troubled and probing bystanders. The poor child is now tended by medics inside school facility who have confirmed that she is indeed an Alice— a rare and strong one at that. Watch out, because it seems that this elementary student is going to rule and kick butts one day._

It was not much and it was also the stupidest and most rushed report ever written known to her, but it was a lot of information for starters. Perhaps this was the reason why she was kept a secret. _A guinea pig for the Academy, perchance? _Hotaru thought bitterly. It was not a furtive matter at all, but the Academy was not one to be ostentatious with private information regarding the school.

She stopped short when she saw the signatory of a familiar name on Nina's Dangerous Ability file: _Tsubasa Andou_.

"Andou?" she whispered to herself, suddenly confused— and it was rare for her to be. She read the files, and she immediately got an answer. He was her instructor. Mentor, more like. To Nina, and the rest of her upperclassmen friends. It caught Hotaru off track. She knew he stayed after graduating with Misaki and that he _helped_ with that particular Mixed Class every now and then, but she had no idea he _taught_ them to kick ass.

She placed down the papers and stared out the windows, to darkness. Hotaru had no idea, but there was something about Nina Takahashi that she suddenly grown attached to.

She sure is brave to dare Alice Academy.

**

* * *

Author's Note**_: Nothing much happened here. I know, I know. I tend to write scenes that have no sense at all. Sue me. I suck at this. :))_


	4. Clockwork

**Chapter 4:**_**Clockwork**_

_**

* * *

Somewhere in a basement in Tokyo, Japan**_

"Down!" Akira hissed, and so Jun and Shizuka hastily obeyed. Guns were shot and a loud explosion was heard. Far left, near the stack of boxes, the walls were taken down, and from the other side was a silhouette with an automatic shotgun on his arms. Akira pursed his lips. He couldn't risk either of his allies to run off, and he didn't want them to charge forward either. The gun would end their lives in a matter of seconds. It wasn't that he _doubted_their abilities. Akira had always believed that his team could practically take down _anyone_and _anything_. It was the fear that he might lose them that was troubling his conscience. As the appointed chief, it was his duty to make sure that they stayed alive— or so he believed.

"Jii!" Shizuka's tone shook Akira away from his thoughts, and just so, Jun was already charging at the silhouette with his shuriken and performed a _jiki da-ho_without haste. Both seniors knew Jun heard his mission name; they weren't allowed to use real names for precaution. Still, Jun could've predicted what would happen.

Or maybe, that's exactly _why_Jun did what he did.

The silhouette turned his head towards Jun and cocked his gun. Akira cursed. Just after the man pulled the trigger, though, the shuriken had hit him on the chest. Akira heard Shizuka's small gasp of relief, but seeing something she didn't, he sent a blanket of thick ice infront of Jun. There was suddenly a light crack, and the bullet landed on the floor.

"You _idiot_."

Jii had never felt so damned in his whole life until he saw Frost's fierce eyes on him.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Quadrangle**_

Nina pursed her lips when she saw Jun twitch on his seat. Across him was Akira, sporting his glasses with his hair messily tied behind his neck, and even though the Chief didn't throw him away from "their" quad table, he didn't speak to him either. Jun would have felt better if Akira punched him on the nose or told him to "Get lost", but no, Akira was hell-bent on ignoring him instead.

And it terrified Jun, amused Shizuka, worried Rue and confused Nina.

"Ah, Takahashi-san!" The voice snapped all of them from their hazes, and Nina automatically looked up from the Physics book she was supposedly reading. Yuu had approached her with a parcel and a clipboard on hand. "I need you to sign this form; it's from Mr. Narumi. Listen, about the festival? Do you have any suggestions?"

Nina signed her name while answering. "I'm not really good with those things, Iinchou. I'm a boring person."

"The rest of the class doesn't think so," he said kindly, accepting the clipboard back. "You're a rare Alice, you're special. And you're the only other person in the Dangerous Ability class besides Natsume."

"Natsume…" Nina muttered, tapping her temple. "Oh, right, the Hyuuga kid."

"Yep," Yuu smiled, gesturing to another quad table not too far, where the raven-haired Natsume sad boringly, eyes on his manga. "He's quite anti-social, but he's nice, once you get to know him."

"I doubt I ever will," she mumbled under her breath. It wasn't really a rule, but Tsubasa Andou had made it clear for her: _you can't make too many friends._ She still has no idea what category her classmates belong to, but she's not yet ready to be on a first-name basis with them. Casually and liberally, that is.

"If you've thought of something, tell me." Yuu said as he waved goodbye.

"He's such a nice kid." Shizuka smiled. She had seen Yuu getting into action, and action implying those times he had to take over the class.

Jun snorted without meaning to. "Too nice to Nina, you mean."

Akira cleared his throat and Jun immediately busied himself with his Chemistry home work.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

"I want a five-paragraph essay on your life for the past five years," Makiahara looked around the room and saw everyone's blank faces, so he added, "_tomorrow_."

"_What_?"

"You have _got_to be kidding me!"

"For real?"

Various retorts filled the room, and it took a whole two minutes before Mr. Makihara and Yuu managed to calm everybody's voices.

"Now, now!" Makihara scolded, his brows forming a frown. "You shouldn't behave like _this_. If you've forgotten, you're not in elementary anymore. And after all, you're writing about _your_life. I don't think it'd be that difficult."

"Oh, come _on_," Mochu wailed, "We're _Alices_, not _Superman_!"

"Even Superman complains with his work!"

"That's enough," Makihara scolded at them, and at once the class was quiet. "I want to see your essays on this table tomorrow morning _before_I come to class. And I want them arranged _alphabetically_, Tobita."

"Yes, sir," Yuu chirped. With those words, Makihara nodded and left class. Koko threw a paper ball on the back of his head and muttered, "_Mother Hen._"

"Stop it, Koko," Sumire rolled her eyes. "Yuu's right. Your Hen jokes are a bit overrated."

"Sumire, you _like_making personal essays. You _like_Mr. Makihara." Koko pointed out. "You won't have problems with the assignment."

"Dear, I'm _every bit_as busy as you are!"

Raising a brow, Koko repeated incredulously, "_Dear_, Sumire? Seriously, _dear_?"

And just like that, they were laughing.

Nina shook her head. That couple was weird. And they were opposites. Sumire was mature and lady-like, while Koko was _im_mature and juvenile. _She_was a woman stuck in a teenager's body, and _he_ was a child stuck in a teenager's body. Nina couldn't figure out what led both of them to, well, like each other. She asked this to Wakako, and the latter answered quite loyally.

"Sumire's a wonderful person," she started, and it was obvious in her eyes that she and Sumire were real friends. "Koko used to _hate_everything. I know, it doesn't seem possible, right? But it is. Back then, Koko didn't want to play with anyone, he was isolated, simply put, he _hated_everything _and_everyone. Anyways, Sumire noticed this— well, she notices _everything—_so she gave him a mouthful because she just couldn't, like, shut it, and next thing we knew, Koko was butting into everyone's business, reading thoughts out loud, getting into trouble, laughing and playing… well, he became a real kid, you know what I mean?"

Though it was rhetorical, Nina nodded. "When did they… uh…"

"Get together?" Wakako supplied helpfully. Nina affirmed and so Wakako went on. "You've got to admit, Sumire's really pretty. She started having these meal and study sessions with guys, older, same class, whatever. Then she claimed she loved this senior— three years older, you wouldn't know him— but then he was just playing along and it _totally_broke dear Sumire's heart, so it was down to Koko to do some serious talking because she was like, the same to him before, right? One thing led to another, the boy was completely head over heels. Quite clichéd, I know right? It's like your typical best friend-falls-for-best friend type of romance, but I think they're a match made in heaven, no matter how opposite they are." Wakako gave a dreamy sigh, and Nina wondered if the girl ever ran out of breath. "It's weird, really, how our Alice can really change our lives, you know?"

"Yes," Nina's voice croaked. She cleared her throat and said again, "Yes, I know."

Wakako's eyes swept on Nina's sympathetically. With a small smile, Wakako flicked her forehead gently. "Put on a smile, Takahashi. It's not the end of the world." She winked and added just after the next teacher entered the room, "Besides, you still haven't started on Makihara's essay yet. I can't wait to hear yours."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Study Hall**_

Nina tapped her pen against the library desk. It was study hall, and half of her class sat on the same table with her. They were all working on Makihara's essay, and though it was really personal and not a research type of paper, it seems like _everyone_knew _everything_ about each other.

Which actually kind of bothers Nina.

They were tasked to write a paper about their life since _five_years ago. She'd be eleven years old at that time. Thing is, since the accident, Nina can't remember a _single thing_until she was thirteen. _That_ was three years ago. She _needs_to know what happened to her two years before that to complete the paper.

And of course, that was impossible.

She has no past, she has no family, she has no record of her life. She doesn't even know her birthday.

_Damn that Makihara_, Nina cursed inwardly, _He_knows _I'm going to have a difficult time!_

Though she considered History as one interesting subject, Nina hated the fact that Mr. Makihara often twisted her views. This time, though, he was twisting her brain. He wants her to remember something she doesn't even know that _exists_.

She is going to have a talk with him sometime.

"Takahashi? Takahashiiiii."

Nina blinked and saw Koko grinning at her face. "Oh, do you need something?"

"No," Koko's grin did not fade, "I'm just wondering why you're shouting curses to Mr. Makihara. It's too loud and solid to ignore, you see."

"Nothing," Nina answered, giving a small smile. "He's just one of the weirdest teachers I've met. Instead of studying history, we're being taught to write about our_own_ history."

"If you think Makihara's weird," Mochu said darkly, "then you probably haven't seen much of Narumi."

"Actually, I think he's beyond insanity. The weirdest teachers can actually make you think, albeit how really odd they act."

"So what are you going to write about?" Sumire asked, cutting off other comments from Mochu. "It's quite intriguing. You're new and all to the class, but you're like, old in terms of Academy settling, right? Something like that. So, I'm really curious."

Nina thought for a moment. She didn't know what to say. What _would_she say? What _should_she say? It's a big blank canvas for her.

Hiding her troubled thoughts, Nina shrugged. "You'd rather hear it tomorrow."

"I think I'd rather hear it now." Hotaru suddenly said, and Nina raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, Takahashi. How is Andou Tsubasa acquainted to you?"

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

"I _can't _believe she _asked _that!" Rue muttered out loud. "How did she even know about it? That's private information!"

"Nothing escapes an Imai's mind," Nina answered darkly. It was such a good thing that Jun saved her just after Hotaru asked, saying that she was "needed immediately".

She still hasn't finished her essay, and it was such a pain. She, Rue and Jun were out on the woods again that night, waiting for Shizuka and Akira's quick mission downtown. Of course, one could've done it alone, but as Shizuka recently had some difficulties with her eye, Akira (much to his satisfaction) had to stick around.

Nina still couldn't figure out what she's done for the last three years that made Mr. Makihara hate her so much. That was the only explanation why he's making her do the stupid paper. Just after supper, she nonchalantly 'talked' to him outside the Faculty lounge, and it was the first time ever in her life that Nina wanted to punch someone so badly in the face for being a teacher.

"_I'm the teacher, Ms. Takahashi, and what I say goes."_

"_But it's_impossible _to complete this paper! I'm going to get a failing grade!"_

"_Ms. Takahashi, what did I ask you to do?"_

"_You want me to write a five-paragraphed essay about my life for the past five years."_

"_Exactly."_

"_I_told _you, Mr. Makihara, it's completely impossible for me to complete the paper! I can't write about something that doesn't exist!"_

"_You are aware of the Grimm Brothers, I take it?"_

"_What do they— Mr. Makihara, fairy tales are a completely different matter."_

"_Takahashi. I am asking you to write about_your _life. It doesn't matter what particular date or time. I just want an essay."_

"_But I—"_

"_Good night, Ms. Takahashi."_

She swears. One day, that teacher was going to regret _ever_giving her an assignment.

"Damn it, Rue, what on earth am I going to write?"

Rue looked over at her direction sympathetically. "I don't know, Nina. What _has been_going on in your life for the past five years?"

Shrugging, she lay down on the grass. "Kill. Save. Eat. Sleep. Kill. Save. Eat. Sleep. It's really just a cycle."

"Then write about it," Rue said encouragingly, "Write about your cycle." She winked at the unmoving figure of Jun's, whose back was against a tree. "It'd be like clockwork."

"Clockwork?" Nina repeated, rising up with an unexplainable expression.

Rue smiled. "Yes. Clockwork."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

All papers were alphabetically arranged on the teacher's table the moment Mr. Makihara entered the classroom. No one was speaking, and Koko was a bit jumpy that morning, having more at least five glasses of coffee the previous night.

"I see everyone's submitted their essays." Makihara nodded. He placed down his things and leaned against the table and surveyed the room. He wanted to chuckle out loud at his students, but he didn't dare to.

Knowing this particular set of students, he'd go back to his room in the worst possible state.

"I just hope the content is…." His voice trailed off when his eyes travelled to Nina's, whose brown ones were staring at him in equal distaste. He cleared his throat and announced, "Yes, why don't you read your essays out loud?"

Various retorts filled the room once again.

"I'll be picking a random paper, then." Ignoring their loud voices, he pulled a sheet of paper from the bundle.

"Ah, let's see. Hitoshi, you have the floor."

* * *

Rue fiddled with her pens and yawned. It was a long night. Something went wrong with Shizuka and Akira's mission, and both juniors immediately ran to their aid. They fibbed and told Nina that they were in the infirmary, having a rest. Rue didn't want to worry the young teenager. She has too many on her mind.

"Psst, Rue…"

In the most subtle way, she moved her head a little to the left to signal Jun that she heard him. He slipped a paper under her palm on the table and pretended to listen to Mr. Narumi.

_5 PM. Same place. Let's sneak Crow._

Rue had difficulty in hiding her confusion. She quickly wrote back, _Sneak Crow? Are you out of your mind?_

_It'd be fine,_was Jun's quick reply, _We'll be quick._

_We're going to get into trouble. All__three__, no, __five of us._

_TRUST ME._

Rue shook her head. It was crazy. It'd be impossible not to get caught. Nina wasn't even supposed to be going to missions at all.

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

Never in Nina's life had she been so afraid and pissed at a teacher at the same time.

"…got Yuu to break a rule! Hey, that's awesome, right?"

A few seats ahead of her, Nina saw Yuu turning pale. She wondered out loud the rule he broke and voiced it out to Wakako.

"They said he sneaked in for some private records." Wakako shrugged. "I didn't give it a lot of thinking."

"Why would he do that?" Nina asked blankly. She actually had a pretty good reason _why_.

Wakako gave her a shrug again. "Blackmailed, I guess. Yuu may be the class leader, but anyone's scared stiff of Hotaru. The girl's Hitler's spawn."

Mr. Makihara cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to his direction at the very back of the room, arms crossed, leaning against the walls. "Good job, Mr. Mochiage. Now, who's next? Any volunteers?" When no one raised their hands, Makihara shook his head amusingly. "I thought so. I'd like to hear from…" he randomly tapped a name on his board, "Ms. Takahashi."

"Crap."

* * *

"Mr. Narumi, I apologize for the interruption, but I have to pass a message."

Narumi frowned, casting a quick glance at his class who had their eyes glued on the handsome alumni. Rue and Jun were particularly curious. "I suppose whatever that is can wait until later, Mr. Andou."

Tsubasa shook his head frantically, and it made Narumi even more confused. "I'm afraid it can't wait much longer."

"Very well, then." Narumi said, and motioned for the class president to take his place.

He and Tsubasa walked a few steps away from the room, to a corner near a janitor's closet. The latter didn't waste any time and launched into the message.

"It's about Nina."

Narumi's eyebrows drew together. "What's the matter?"

"Her files. They're lost."

Narumi blinked a couple of times and chuckled. "Ah, no need to worry about that. It's all Hotaru Imai's doing."

"No, no," Tsubasa shook his head, "Not _those _files. Nina's _Mixed Class_ files."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, High School Building, Room B-5**_

Nina bit her lip as she walked in front of the class, her essay on her hand. She did _exactly_as Rue advised her to. Her Clockworkessay took her less than an hour, but she was still scared stiff. She has never read an essay out loud before. It just seems so weird talking only to one teacher when she was kept from the other students, so she never practiced it back then.

"This…" Nina took a deep breath and started again; "If a dog barks on a tree, what is up on the tree? A cat? But what if there wasn't a cat? What would happen, by chance, if there was only a crow sitting idly on a branch, maybe cackling every now and then, bringing a wiggling prey to eat for some time, or piercing passing humans as the clock ticked? I have been sitting on my own branch for three years. My branch is Alice Academy. My preys are countless. I am going to be honest: I kill and save. I end a person's life, injure a person's soul, hurt someone's existence, and save another.

This essay, I'm afraid, will be different from the rest you've heard. It is not full of joyful teenage tales with fancy words. It does not describe the gory scenes I had to face, or the near-death experiences I came across with. This does not focus on the last five years I had; rather, it consists of the three years I spent here in Alice Academy. But do take note that this is not a sad tale of an orphaned girl with a terrifying Alice. It is a clockwork schedule that takes up this piece of paper: a routine that has been happening for more than a thousand days."

Nina looked up from her paper. She guessed that part of the reason why everyone was so intent was because she was new and they wanted to be friends.

And then she saw Imai's eyes flashing.

_Or maybe they're just really desperate_, she added to herself, and continued: "When I was thirteen, I was not put in a classroom. Half of that pre-youngster stage, I was in the hospital. When I had an accident, I was found by an Alice. The accident was severe and could've made a normal person die, but I was alive, and so he suspected something. The bruises, cuts and burns in me marked their places. I knew I was special then, and I had a Healing Alice I was not aware I have managed to steal from a previous encounter, but I realized before that whenever I use my so-called powers, I weaken myself. From then until now, I rely on the school's facilities for my aid. I've thought and realized long enough to be aware of the debt I have on the school, and without a second thought, I accepted the favors they offered since I got here. In exchange of doing these said favors is the Academy's loyalty and support."

_I think this is getting pretty boring. Get real, Nina. No one wants to know_what _happened. They want to know what's_happening_._

"Today, I am sixteen. Since thirteen, I learned that the things planted on a little child's mind were nothing but lies, and the photographs they flashed were absolute fakes. They were not the work of a professional but of an Alice. If one wants to get something done, they consider them. But if one wants to make history, they call an Alice. That was when I realized how much a weapon I am, and all of us, to Alice Academy, and to the world.

I live to both kill and save. I think that it is safe to announce that bit. In order to survive, I save a life and take another's. It is a cycle that I never grew out of; one that I could never change. This is what I have been doing ever since. I have not an interesting tale to share. I—"

"Excuse me, Mr. Makihara?"

Nina stopped and her eyes widened. She'd recognize that voice _everywhere_. She'd jump off a building if that voice asked her to.

"Yes, Mr. Andou?"

"May I please excuse Ms. Takahashi?"

Nina didn't dare raise her head. Her eyes were still glued on the paper she was nervously clutching. She hasn't done anything wrong, has she? But then, she has never been excused of class before— unless those times she needed to drop by the infirmary— but never for unknown reasons.

She could guess that Makihara was frowning. The buzzing started. Nina couldn't move a muscle. She didn't dare. She was far too nervous.

"What for, may I ask?" Makihara questioned.

"I'm afraid it's private. Further announcements for the faculty will be for later."

"Very well then," Makihara finally sighed and regarded the statue in uniform in front. "Ms. Takahashi, you are excused."

_You're wrong, Nina,_he thought as he watched his student bobble with her head down, _The cycle_can _change._

* * *

"I think it's safe to say that _someone_in this room hasn't been faithful."

Mr. Andou looked at each of the five students. Akira was perched on the windowsill, staring into space, but he was certain that the senior was listening. Infront of him, leaning against the wall, was Shizuka, with her long hair flowing down her chest and past her waist. Jun sat cross-legged on the desk, back hunched. Rue occupied the seat beside his, and Nina stood with her hands on her jacket pocket.

All five of them were looking grim. Very, very grim.

"I don't want to know what and how it happened," Andou said, "What I want to know is _why _it happened."

"Maybe—"

"I'm not in the mood for any _maybes_and _ifs_, Hinata." Andou cut him off, and Akira immediately closed his mouth and continued to stare outside. "I want to know who did it and exactly _why_. You all know I try to make good impressions of each one of you, but you can't keep fucking off every chance you have!"

"Why is the blame on us anyway?" Jun retorted. "So Nina's files were missing. Big deal. Doesn't the Academy have super technology that can store what's top secret? This is even better than FBI."

"These _things_, Midori," Andou snapped, "are highly private and are strictly kept. The fact here that Takihashi's class files are missing is a bad record. You all know that getting through security is impossible."

"Hotaru Imai and her friends managed to get hold of my school files." Nina announced from the back. "If security's so great, how'd she get them?"

"Those files are in a completely different set of safety measures. You can get hold of those files in a matter of seconds. _Seconds_. But your _private_class files are one of the well-kept. Nobody but officials knows of the access."

"There you have it," Nina shrugged. To be honest with herself, she wasn't the least bit nervous anymore. She couldn't see the big fuss. "The officials got hold of my files and misplaced it. End of case, court dismissed."

Andou sighed. "Anyone here but Nina knows what I mean. I want to know who did it before the day ends. If not, there'll be trouble. You know I mean it." He saw their expressions. "Listen, guys. I need to know what happened. Don't make it hard for all of us."

Annoyed for being singled out, Nina huffed out of the classroom before Mr. Andou could. He shook his head. He didn't mean to break the girl's pride, but he was, admittedly, thoroughly disturbed of the action.

* * *

Hotaru gritted her teeth. She was so close to discovering something about Takihashi, but then Andou himself decided to show up at the middle of the class! She was seriously going to have a talk with that alumnus.

"Lighten up, Hotaru," Nonoko said, "You look a bit grim."

"Oh, she's _more_than that…" Koko smirked.

Hotaru glared at him before taking her books. "I'm busy these days."

"We all know that." Sumire rolled her eyes. "It's not like you're not the major spectacle every Festival. If I were you guys, I'd leave her alone. I can practically hear her brain wiring."

"Hard not to, the girl's a genius," Mochu commented, "I'm telling you, the Academy's going to meet their worst downfall when they let us off."

"_If_ they let us off."

The words clearly struck everyone sitting around the table. Kitsuneme saw them looking and quickly defended himself. "What? I mean, look at Tsubasa-senpai, at Misaki-senpai. I bet they're staying because the Academy asked them to."

* * *

"We're staying because we want to protect her." Tsubasa Andou's words sounded final.

Mr. Narumi shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid _want_is very different from _need_, and in this case, according to the higher-ups, Nina doesn't need someone to take after her. She's a grown lady."

"She's still a _kid_, Narumi." Misaki Harada disagreed. "She's young and old all the same, but she's still sixteen years old. She hasn't lived _her_life yet!"

"What can we do?" Narumi muttered, running a hand through is hair. "It's us against them."

"I didn't stay here for nothing, Narumi." Andou said darkly, his serious expression never fading. "I was left behind because I chose to. Now you want me out?"

"No, I don't think they want us out," Harada muttered, "They simply want us away from Nina, don't they?"

Narumi's hesitance was brief. "Yes."

* * *

"Why did you do it, Jun?"

A smile crept across Jun's grim face. He opened his eyes and sat up to gaze at the view from the rooftop. "I knew I'd be found sooner or later. I saw you." There was a short hiatus before Jun added with a serious voice, "You know why I did it. You can jump on your lecture."

"Listen to me, Jii. This is Chief Frost speaking." Akira paused and gathered his words carefully. "We can't let… _personal feelings_… get in the way. Damn, I'm no good with this."

"I know that." Jun said, without missing a beat.

Akira raised a brow sardonically. "Which part?"

He got a smirk from his junior. "Both."

"Oh… but, listen, Jun. I'm also your senior, and I get how you feel. So… stop standing around, waiting for some other guy to take her who might not even be worth it. Sweep her off her feet before it's too late. We both know you don't have enough time."

There was another silence before Jun finally said, "Thanks for the eye-opener, Chief."

Akira chuckled and sat beside Jun. "I hate to break this up with you, but the kid has eyes following her every step."

"Exactly why I got hold of the files. I guess I panicked and forgot to sort it properly. Sorry about that."

The older shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. Just make sure you won't leave a mark next time, alright? Andou's having bothour heads off when he finds out, and I'm warning you now, he _will_find out."

"Sure... Akira-senpai."

Satisfied, Akira stood up and playfully ruffled the younger's hair. "I'll see you later, kouhai. Don't be late."

* * *

"I told you I won't be late."

"Yes," Akira muttered annoyingly, "But you didn't tell me you were bringing a little doll along!"

"Hey!" Nina retorted, her anger rising, "That's it, your doll jokes are getting really annoying!"

"Nina," the Chief thundered, "You're not even _supposed_to be here!"

"Why is that? This is part of my clockwork schedule!"

"What?"

"Akira, hold it." Rue interrupted, "I was the one who talked Nina into this."

"I think you know better than to do that, Sakurako."

Taking offense in his sudden use of last names, Rue bitterly crossed her arms and leaned against the nearest tree.

"See what you did!" Nina said, her voice rising, "You know, as a leader, you bring your team _closer_, not apart. You're such a loser, Akira."

Akira rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Do what you want. I won't save your butt this time."

"My butt wasn't anywhere wrong in the first place!"

"Stop cackling, Crow. Come on. We need to hurry." He quickly spared the clock tower a gaze. Seven-fifteen. "We need to be back by nine."

_**

* * *

Alice Academy, Faculty Lounge**_

Mr. Makihara tapped his pen on his desk in a rhythmic pattern. He has been reading his class' essays but he was most interested in what Nina had written down, aside from Natsume Hyuuga's, naturally.

"_But my clockwork schedule doesn't end with just 'sleep'. When I close my eyes at night, everything doesn't stop there. I never stop thinking of what my life before was, how it looked, who my family was. I wonder if I had affectionate parents, hilarious grandparents or maybe, just maybe, a little brother or sister who I loved dearly. I never knew because, well, who on earth does? Until then, I drift to sleep every night, hoping that someday, sometime, a little flash of memory would spark my mind, and even in just my dreams, I'd get to feel what's it like to have a family, to have your life free, with no detailed schedule of what you can do every second. If you look and listen carefully, you'll realize that my essay doesn't typically end with a period, but a question mark, because my life doesn't end here, and besides, I still haven't written about the other two years required for this essay in the first place. But while I wait for that day to mark those two years, I will continue to dream. Will you help me?"_

Little did he know that Narumi was peering closely from behind him.

"What on— Narumi!"

"Oh, sorry about that, Makihara," he was given a boyish grin, "I was merely curious. Nina's one of the best eye-catching writers I know."

"Narumi, _anyone_can write. The kid just happens to have been a lot of things."

"Why, Makihara, don't you want to admit we have a talented Alice with us?"

"You know what I really mean, Narumi." Makihara said darkly, "I tell you, the kid would be safer in the loose than kept here in the Academy."

"Yes, I suppose so. But what's done is done, and Nina will serve the Academy."

"For how long? Narumi, that kid needs a life. You've read her essay. It's obvious she wants to _live_for herself for a change, not for somebody else."

"She knows people rely on her for safety."

"What about _her_safety, Narumi?"

Narumi sighed. Their roles should actually be reversed. He was supposed to be the one making a debate out of Nina Takahashi's life, but here he suddenly was, saying that Nina'd rather be risking her life for the Academy than saving and treasuring her own. He gazed outside; the moon was shining, and from a distance, somewhere near the woods, he saw five silhouettes walking through the dark. "I honestly don't know what to say anymore."

**

* * *

Author's Note:**_This seems so boring to me. Anyways, I had help from my younger brother about the fighting parts, as he's so "knowledgeable" with 'em. And in such a rare act, I read the GA manga. I used to, but then I had to stop because I had trouble with my schedules. I just read the 134th__chapter, though, and wow, the emotions._


	5. Deja Vu

**Chapter 5:**_**Déjà Vu**_

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Restricted Area**_

There were thundering footsteps beating against the wooden floors; livid voices echoed through the whole building. It was a building hidden deep in the heart of one of the forests— a restricted area in the eyes of the rest— so it was no questionable wonder why they took no bother in hiding the heated conversation, slowing down their hasty walks or toning down their voices.

In the first floor hallway, a man's voice travelled to the entrance door. But behind one particular door of one of the most respected men in the Academy, another chastising was taking place, and if anyone thought the fining outside was terrifying, they would've frozen to death behind that said door.

"You disobeyed rules," the man slapped the folders on his desk, his voice ringing through the vast room, "You were ten minutes late and you almost killed a civilian, not to mention almost having your vulnerability discovered. You must be aware that punishment in strict order."

Akira was covered in dried blood. It didn't matter if it was his or someone else— the man standing before him did not care about that. _Punishment is in strict order_. His shirt and pants were torn in various places in various cuts, and his arms and legs were bruised. His dark hair was wet and messy like a mop.

The man continued, too shaking to be unperturbed with the appalling appearance of the senior in front of him. "You did not only risk a city dweller's life by dragging him around with you, Frost. You also risked the life of an important asset."

"Is this what she merely is, then?" Akira's courage restored. "An asset? That's what we all are, aren't we? We're just weapons you can all use up and dispose of in time. When we've gone weak and frail, you'll fire a bullet straight on our heads. That's life for us, isn't it?"

"You knew what you signed up for. Each one of you knew what would happen when you accepted. We gave you a choice."

"It wasn't a choice! We live by our own mantra, and that's we live to survive. If you're telling me that it was a choice, then there's something wrong with your definition."

"You've gone soft, Frost. To _everyone_, it seems."

"And it apparently is a bad thing."

"You care too much."

"I have every right to be. I do what you want me to. What I do after it is none of your business."

"Everything you do in the Academy is _my _business."

He couldn't take it anymore. The self-restraint he had left suddenly dispersed and he grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. "I handle the ways I do around here."

"No. _I _handle everyone." The man was calm. "You think this is some kind of game where you work in teams? You are wronged. You are all opponents here. All of you are investments."

"You're admitting it now I know everything?" Akira pushed him back on his chair with great force.

"You claim you know things you cannot even understand. You don't even know half the things going around here."

"I do," the young man said confidently. "If there's someone who knows more than anyone in the whole class, it's me, Cole. You taught me."

There was a moment's silence before Cole shook his head.

Akira was persistent for a reason too secretive and vague for anyone to guess. "I lead a five-man team of one of the most dangerous Alices around here."

"There is no team, Frost." He added a couple of seconds after: "And you barely know quarter of dear Crow."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Track Field**_

"Is it always like this?" Nina gestured around. They were having Physical Education and have run around the field, but it was not, as some were currently putting it, 'fair'.

Wakako grinned. "Yeah. Since everyone is unique and different around here, some are just better than the rest in couples of fields."

"And you never learn to accept defeat after all these years?"

"Part of the fun in it is finding ways to surpass them."

"And exactly _how _do you surpass them?"

"By playing the game."

As if on cue, Mochu and Kitsuneme were howling with Koko on their backs, who was carrying a ball— specifically, an Alice ball.

They were playing dodge ball.

"Nice," Nina grinned. Playing dodge ball was a way to test her Alices and she always had fun with it, like it was part of a childhood she didn't remember.

"So," Wakako grinned as she caught the ball Koko threw on their direction. "Playing?"

* * *

It was like déjà vu.

Nina didn't know, nor could she explain _how_. There was something with playing dodge ball with this class, as if she'd done it back then.

_It's impossible_, she told herself firmly. _I have never did this with them before _

But as the Alice ball get tossed to her direction, she had to blink a couple of times to convince herself that nothing was out of the ordinary, yet when Yuu's illusion of a humongous ball almost trampled her, it went back to its original size.

Like déjà vu.

She spiked the ball back so quick, it hit Mochu hard on the head.

"Ow!" he jokingly complained, then pointed a finger at Nina, "You haven't seen the last of me!"

There were only a few people left now. In all actuality, Nina was having fun. It wasn't the kind of fun she'd have with Akira, Shizuka, Rue or Jun. She was _really _having fun, with people her age, in a harmless game of dodge ball. Sure, the ball was forbidden because it has the tendency to be used against someone, but that was part of the fun. Nina was just sick and tired of playing by the rules of other people's games, always having to follow their every heed and call and bowing down to their demands. Her Mixed Class friends were amazing, beyond ordinary, who showed her how big and crazy but wonderful the world is. But her classmates showed her how great everything and everyone is, how important one person is, how _she _is a person too.

Nina had the better of two worlds in her hands, and she felt best in her whole life.

* * *

"Looks like he's really having fun, huh?"

Wakako grinned at Sumire's musings. "Both of them are."

They were only down to two people— two people they expected least, but perhaps they shouldn't have. Natsume and Nina, after all, were their amazing 'Ns' of the Dangerous Ability Class. Natsume was a pyrokinetic and Nina didn't have the Alice of Fire— it was rare, only a handful of them in a decade— but they were truly a match. They were like Abbadon and Azrael: Angel of Destruction and Angel of Death.

Nina's lips curled when she overheard their thoughts. It was something that usually happened, their thoughts just coming over at her like a cannon ball. _Angel of Death. _That was what they was what she truly was. Crow was just another animal they picked off a book during a late Mixed Class meeting. The Angel of Death. Crow was a cover-up for a tamer name. Her Alice of Death was the worst she had, next to Stealing, Erasing and Copying, and she very rarely used it, but even without said Alice, she was worse than Death.

Whenever Natsume threw the ball, it never caught on fire. Nina, they all guessed, was just that powerful. The boys watch open-mouthed while the girls do the cat-calling and the cheering. It was rare for someone with a double X chromosome to battle with an XY. Nina knew, though, that he never used his Alice during the game.

Ruka shook his head with a small smile. He knew Natsume was having fun as well. He didn't keep to himself like he usually did years ago— a certain hyperactive girl made sure of that. He made time for other people, only coming out as the true cruel brash man he is during missions. Other than that, Natsume showed his gentle nature. He was still wary of who came close and who came far too close but his friends—his family— assured him that nothing would go wrong. Nothing could go wrong. They were bounded together. Not as a class, but a whole.

They were a family, after all.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

Rue was in the worst pain imaginable.

"I really think we should've taken her to the infirmary," Nina grumbled. She eyed her friend. She was laying her head against a bundle of leaves and a coat of Akira's. They had just returned from a mission. Jun got away with barely a scratch but Rue received the consequences of it: she was on guard.

Akira shook his head. "If we do, we'll get caught."

"Sorry," Jun muttered from the side, actually feeling guilty. "I really meant to make a clean job but my sleeves ripped and, well…"

"Next time, we're wearing leotards." Akira said darkly. "We can't risk Nina. If the higher-ups suddenly decide to toss her in battle, she'll need her strength." Nina didn't like it that they were making her sound like such a fragile and frail little thing. "Call Dr. Imai. It's he we can only trust."

Shizuka took the job. "Should I use my Alice on him or…?"

"No," Akira said firmly. "We need his complete trust. If we use our Alice against another, we're doing what's forbidden."

Nina refused to speak. She still hasn't told them what she found some missions ago. She guessed it slipped the higher-ups. Alices were turning against them. The Z Organization was just a small branch. There was a bigger one, one they didn't know of.

She discovered a few researches later that a woman named Yuka Sakura was one of them.

It was why she grew a little curious about Mikan Sakura. She didn't know who to ask yet but she bookmarked the thought in her mind. If she was going to die, she didn't want to die in battle in service to other people she was partly forced to follow. She wanted to be human. If ever there was a way, she'd like that.

But delusions can only take you halfway.

"Nina?"

"What?" She blinked. She was giving a tree a look that would've practically made it wither in ashes. "Sorry."

"I said, Andou wants to see you."

"What? Where?" She didn't do something wrong, did she? Being singled out has always been terrifying for her. Everything had a reason, she believed. Nothing was done just because. People said that a lot, but there has always been one, hidden way deep inside that you wouldn't know unless you dug enough.

And being singled out by the man who taught her everything? There was a reason, especially given recent events.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Middle School Dormitory**_

Hotaru Imai felt like she wanted the earth to gobble her up and to spit her back after the festival.

She always had the best ideas: she was a genius. She had blueprints all over the room, rolled and positioned on one corner, creating a pyramid. It was weird, but she couldn't decide on the perfect one for _this _festival. She liked everything she thought of, and everyone agreed it was awesome and they weren't forced to. Hotaru has always been a smart one. Creative, a master of everything she worked for and in.

But the festivals always reminded her of a bitter past. It always reminded her of that young girl who would run around, laughing gaily like the jolly person she was. _Was_. The realization repeatedly plunged on her heart like a sharp-pointed stake. Mikan Sakura who died at the age of thirteen. Her foolish friend who gave her all the ideas. Mikan could come up of something crazy and end up trying to draw the image from her actions and she'd end up doing something foolish or something. Hotaru would rarely laugh. It was rarely laughable but pitiable. Pitiable because Mikan was just so _innocent_, like she didn't know Haiti was a third world country, that people in Iraq were killing their own people, that in some part of the world, someone was dying.

Mikan's innocence ended her. Her end was Hotaru's end.

It was like the sun stopped shining, the birds stopped singing, the earth stopped moving. For other people, they might think of a special someone of the opposite sex, someone you love as a special person for forcing out affections out of you. For Hotaru Imai, it was her best friend.

That was her Achilles' heel.

But she was still alive.

Because of Mikan, she was living. Maybe some people would stop living if someone they loved died, but Mikan would've frowned at that, Hotaru knew. Mikan would say that there was a lot to live up for, that one person dying is not the rest of the world's end. Dying meant that you had done something in life, and that was living. Mikan died and taught more than a handful of people how important it was to live, how everyone should live.

Hotaru lived not because she was supposed to. Hotaru lived because she wanted to. Someday, she'll see Mikan again and tell her how she lived her life. It would be weird, her doing all the talking, but this time their roles would be reversed. Mikan would be the one listening, she'd be the one talking. Mikan would be wearing an innocent color of white and she'd be laughing like an angel.

Until then, Hotaru's memory would be good enough.

That was when she realized what she had to make for the Alice festival.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Northern Woods, Mr. Bear's Cabin**_

She didn't know why, but Mr. Bear _hated _her.

Mr. Bear liked Mr. Andou, though, and once, he even kissed Ms. Harada's hand fairly a few times before. Andou and Harada were classmates when they were studying in Alice Academy and they were an amazing couple, in a sense of being friends. They were friendly yet strict, bossy yet affectionate. They graduated not more than a year or two ago, she couldn't remember. She barely knew Tsubasa then, only got to know him more after he graduated. She usually kept to herself and rarely socialized, mainly because she was already comfortable within the walls caving her in. She found solitude in claustrophobic places, assured that no one could hurt her.

The cabin was a small place, but she didn't find _any _solitude in it with Mr. Bear's beady black eyes glaring at her as if she was some angel of death.

_Oh, wait, _she thought ruefully, _I am._

She couldn't understand, though, why Andou liked the bear. He once told her that Mr. Bear was a puppet made his best friend, one who transferred a part of his soul on stuffed toys he made for people. She didn't know who he was because Andou never told her. There were a lot of things he didn't tell her, never bothered filling her and it's been fifteen minutes and they still haven't spoken. Nina had a short-attention span. She was once told for having ADHD, but she shrugged it off. She just wanted to be in the move all the time, always wanting to do something.

"You're twitching," he commented from the fireplace, his back to her.

"But my shadow…" She wanted to say that her shadow was behind her and therefore he couldn't have seen her.

He shook his head and she could practically hear the laughter in his voice. "I guessed."

"Well, you're good."

"I know."

"And conceited."

"I've been told."

"What do you want?"

"You."

"You already have me."

"Not _you_," he sighed. "Who you _used _to be"

"Impossible." She shook her head. "I can't even remember if I had a mother or a father."

"You did," he said shortly, and cut before she could even ask further, "No déjà vu lately?"

"How did you know about that?" Nina learned to never lie to Tsubasa Andou.

"We've been expecting it."

"It doesn't make sense, you know. It's probably all just a dream I've come up one night. I have never spent time with them before, just until recently. Don't bother."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Restricted Area**_

"You called?"

"I need a report."

"On who?" _She's coming around._

"Humor me."

"Shizuka and Jun remain the same." _Flashes of previous memories._

"And the best?"

"Akira's still arrogant but you've reprimanded him well." _She's convinced they're just dreams._

"The other girl?"

"She broke a rib or two, but she's resting now." _Hotaru Imai hasn't gotten new leads since last time._

"What about Crow?"

"Doing well in class."

"And the Alice Festival?"

"I was wondering if she can sit out on this one." _I'm guessing it'd be around that time._

"I'll think about it."

Cole and Tsubasa shared a meaningful glance. They both knew it wasn't safe to talk out loud— you never know who's eavesdropping. Cole wasn't just a mind-reader. He wasn't even close to being one. He could read minds and can make other people think of things on his command.

They both shared a goal. They wanted Mikan Sakura back, and Nina Takahashi was the key. Only she knew of the Alices turning their backs against the Academy. They had to be sure that she was not going to turn into one of them and kill her own friends.

But asking so was a big risk. If she was going to fight along with the Academy then she might end up killing her family. Either side, whatever she chooses, she was going to lose a part of her soul.

**_

* * *

Author's Note_**: So who's Cole, you ask? Well, Cole will be the proof that _not everyone you know is your friend_. I think I gave too much already. ;) Just don't set this man aside (he has the Alice of Telepathy, expanded and will be mentioned in later chapters) because he'll be vital to the sixth chapter onwards.

Due to an audience demand, here is a brief list of my OCs, as of this chapter.

Nina Takahashi: Stealing Alice

Rue Sakurako: -unmentioned-

Jun Midori: Time Alice

Shizuka: Voice Pheromone Alice

Akira Hinata: Ice Alice

To clear something, _there is no team_. The Dangerous Ability students are individuals. You'll find out sooner or later why these five people regard each other as a 'team'. Hopefully, I'll be posting it this month. I've three weeks left before summer vacation. \m/


	6. The Happiness Project

**Chapter 6: **_**The Happiness Project**_

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Quadrangle**_

It was the first day of the Alice Festival.

Nina couldn't even believe she was part of the celebration this time. For the past week, she had been free from missions, but she was sure there was a reason for that, though she hasn't been confronted. Tsubasa Andou has also been acting distant yet awfully wary and her friends were all busy somehow.

Working with her classmates, however, has been a wonderful experience for Nina, and took her mind off her Mixed Class worries. They were funny and charming and have done everything to make her feel welcome. She was still on her guard but she couldn't understand why she needed to be careful. Nothing was going to hurt her inside the Academy. The Academy already done it with the missions, but she didn't affect anyone. _She had no biological family_. She had no one she loves. The big bad guy everyone's afraid of is right outside. Nothing could hurt her within.

"Nina! Nina!" Wakako waved from a table in the quad. Most of the class was gathered around, occupying three tables.

She came up, with the big box of scraps of metals. "Here," she said, handing the box to Yuu who smiled gratefully. She slid down next to Wakako. "So how are the preparations going?"

"We'll be open mid-morning," she replied and tapped on a schedule. "I put you in on entrance duty with me and Sumire around two. S'okay?"

"Sure," Nina beamed. She could feel it was going to be the best Alice Festival she's ever been part of. She looked around the table and marveled at how everyone seemed to work efficiently and in sync. Yuu was barking orders, Hotaru was fiddling with screws with a couple of Mixed Class classmates and even though the Terrible Trio goofed around, they were doing so for the sake of lifting everyone's mood while nailing plates against woods.

Wakako was watching her. "It's funny how extremely different people can get along well, huh?"

"Yeah," Nina admitted. "It's like you're all these machines programmed."

"We wonder about that sometimes, too," Wakako laughed lightly. "I mean, being an Alice… things are almost never impossible, right?"

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

"If you think Nina's not noticing she hasn't gotten any missions for the longest time ever since she's started, then you must be an idiot."

"I _know _what she knows," Tsubasa growled, "But she's busy. She doesn't know."

"How do you know?" Akira continued to retort. Something was not right. He knew that, but he couldn't quite say what. "How do you know what she thinks?"

"Because I talked to her. Why are you even out of class? Jinno's already complaining you of truancy. Do you know how bad that is on your record?"

"Why? You've done it when you were in middle school. I'm in high school."

"Shut up."

Shizuka took that moment to speak up. "Akira's right, Andou. Nina knows things but she's not speaking up."

"Because I told her not to. Honestly, guys, you think I'd leave one of my best students like that?"

Akira and Shizuka glanced at each other before saying, "Yes."

"Nice to think you have so much respect and trust left for me." He rolled his eyes. "Nina's good. The higher-ups just want to lay it low for a while before going full out on the next years. When you two are gone, she's going to take the lead. As good as Rue and Jun are, Nina's three times better than the whole lot left put together."

"You mean to say it's like preparing a pig for slaughter."

"Exactly."

Akira sighed and pondered over this. Finally, he said, "You better make sure she's still alive comes her senior year."

"She will be. I will assure that."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Grounds**_

Mikan had lunch with Sumire and Wakako, but it was far too early even. They still had an hour to spare, and most of the morning was spent preparing. After being given a stack of dancing cookies from Anna (and consequently throwing most of them), they went by Hotaru's special one-woman exhibit, surrounded by mostly foreigners and wealthy tycoons.

Hotaru stood in her Alice Academy uniform with not a crinkle or wrinkle on her clothes. Her hair was held proper with not a singly strand standing astray. Beside her, on a stool atop a glass tray, was a headgear, and behind that was a wide screen connected to the gear.

"It looks like Hotaru's stolen the attention again." Sumire said, amused.

Wakako shrugged good-naturedly. "Well, it _is _an annual thing for her."

"Why don't you demonstrate, Ms. Imai?" A man from the crowd asked. He wore the same suit every man around there wore— with glasses, a token for the Alice and all those things buyers did every Alice Festival.

"Certainly." It was the first time she had encountered the person and she wanted to make a good impression. "Will anyone want to volunteer for—?"

"No, no, no," the man said kindly. "What I meant was, _use it_."

Hotaru blinked a few times but gathered herself. She tried the invention the night before and it worked. The man probably doubted her Alice. She would've done it so to prove herself, only…

The memory that would be shown is entirely private. Hotaru Imai had very few things private anymore, and the memory… what would it show and tell about her? That she was weak?

No, certainly not.

They would recognize her as someone who has a heart for a change. That deep inside her stoic faces and deadpan reactions, Hotaru Imai is still, and entirely, _human_.

Without another word, she put on the headwear, pressed the right buttons, and closed her eyes.

Broadcasted on the seven-by-seven feet screen was her first memory of Mikan Sakura.

* * *

"_Well then, does anyone have any questions for Imai-san?"_

_"Yes! What's your favorite subject?"_

"_Nanotechnology."_

_"What's that?"_

_"Is it a food?"_

_"Hey..."_

"_Hmm?"_

_"Do you want to be my friend?"_

_"Eh?"_

_"As long as we act ourselves, don't you think there are a lot of advantages to cute girls like us sticking together?"_

* * *

"She looks quite familiar," Nina muttered.

Wakako had tears in her eyes. "She's got that face. The brown hair plus brown eyes. But her heart… it's just unlike anyone else."

_Actually_, Nina peered at the screen, _she looks quite like me._

But of course that wasn't possible.

"We should go," Sumire sniffled. Mikan was surprised was this; Sumire Shouda didn't seem like the type to cry in front of a crowd, but her she was, shamelessly doing so before people she didn't even know. That girl— it must be Mikan Sakura. "It's our shift in fifteen, and we need to get there with ten to spare for instructions."

The trip back to their own exhibit was quiet for them three. Everyone else were having fun, but everyone else in Nina's class who had been watching Hotaru's display were silent and sober as they went back to their perspective shows.

"That was Mikan Sakura, wasn't it?" she asked when they neared their exhibit. "The one in Imai's memory?"

"The one and only," Wakako sniveled. "It's been three years, you know? But you can't just let her go. Sometimes, I wonder if it's true, what they say in stories, because if it is, then Mikan's spirit will probably lingering with us, unseen, because we can't let her go. Forget eternal peace and all that."

"Do you mind if I ask?"

"No, not really," Wakako smiled sadly. "Usually, people don't like talking about the past. But I think Mikan wouldn't like that. She'd like people to talk about her, like she's a legacy… and she is. She would've been someone better. Could've been, actually, because she's just someone who couldn't let other people get hurt if she can have a say in it. You know Youichi Hijiri, right?"

"Yes." _The kid with the Ghost Manipulation Alice_, she thought.

"One time, his Alice went haywire, but usually, it would only strain him. Only, that time, it also started hurting other Alices, for some reason we don't know. But that's what happened. Mikan tried to nullify his Alice, but even though she was strong, even though she managed to save him, she couldn't save herself."

Nina waited for further details, but it didn't come. "That's…it? She died… just like that?"

"Mmm."

"And Youichi?"

"For a long time, he blamed himself over it. It was so sad, he was so young and already it's like he's a big mature guy. Then one morning, he started being happy. He was smiling for the first time in months, joking around, even better than what he used to be. And I knew it wasn't some epiphany he had. Someone talked to him, and what surprised us even more is who."

"Who?" Nina asked quite dumbly.

"Hotaru Imai," Sumire laughed a little. "That's who snapped out the sense off the six-year-old."

* * *

All afternoon, Nina thought of nothing but Mikan Sakura. Brown hair, brown eyes: typical. What wasn't typical was her being a martyr. Did such a person exist? Someone willing to risk her life for the sake of others? Nina did that— everyone in the Dangerous Ability Class did that. But Mikan Sakura wasn't even in a mission. As far as Nina knew, she wasn't even sorted in the Dangerous Ability Class.

Consequently, she also thought of Youichi Hijiri. She didn't see him much. He's one of the reserves, wherein they aren't given any direct missions but instead sent when something goes wrong. Nina rarely wondered about him; she didn't usually care about anything outside her closeted group of friends.

She had gotten so absorbed in her thinking that she realized one moment too late that Sumire, Wakako, Kitsuneme, Anna and Koko were eyeing her quite funnily. "Sorry," she flushed, looking down and biting her lip.

"I told you she was getting tired," Sumire playfully flicked Koko's forehead. Obviously, no one trusted an all-boys group, hence, Anna was squeezed between Kitsuneme and Koko, and Mochu was given an inside job. The three had just come out from their posts inside the exhibit.

"Want to check out before we go?" Nina nodded. In retrospect, she hadn't really fully seen their stand yet; she couldn't do much with the preparations given her Alice, so the most she had done was help haul things and basically be a helping hand. Sumire and Wakako had their inside jobs much, much later.

Before they could even go through the door, however, Kitsuneme and Koko stopped them with similar grins. "That'd be ten rabbits each."

"What?" Sumire gaped. "Unbelievable! Shouldn't we get a free ticket, given we just gotten off the shift?"

"Well, you should have done it during your shift," Kitsuneme said matter-of-factly "Now where's our thirty rabbits?"

When they made no motion to reach for their pockets, Koko added, "The line's a little impatient, you know."

Scowling, Sumire took out ten, muttering about relationship and friendship disloyalty. Wakako and Nina mimicked her actions, minus the scowl.

And if asked, Nina would be willing to give sixty rabbits.

It was a circus.

Literally.

Since the class was most known for being goofy and playing about, they were, say, _skilled _in certain things; 'things' pertaining to riding a unicycle, walking on the trapeze, and especially on Ruka's case, taming wild animals. He looked like he was having fun, though. It was a good thing, because the lions didn't particularly like Koko when they were looking for replacements so Ruka could rest. Since none in their class had the Animal Pheromones Alice aside from Ruka, they put on a schedule on when the animal-taming will only be available.

Two of the Latent Abilities were curving their body as acrobats, swinging from bar to bar with the trapeze artists. Tightrope walkers were getting a standing ovation. People were laughing at the clowns-slash-jugglers that failed drastically. They said hi to Mochu who was playing ringmaster and obviously looked like he really was enjoying the job. The performers were avid and crazy and easy to find within them, and even though the circus tent was a little on the difficult side, hey, they have their Alices.

With Alices, nothing was almost always impossible.

They stopped by Natsume's corner, where he sat cross-legged under the post 'Fire-breather'. As they approached him, Nina remembered when Kitsuneme jokingly asked Natsume to be a fire-breather and Nastsume scowled at him after hitting him on the head, so she wondered why he was here.

"You look happy," Sumire teased him.

Only their years of friendship and loyalty stopped Natsume from giving her a third-degree burn.

Wakako seemed quite amused herself, as well. "Who's got you to do this? I'm thinking Koko given the label but he seemed alright when we saw him outside."

Natsume snorted. "If he did, he wouldn't even be walking alive. And I can trust Sumire to not come charging at me like a deranged girlfriend at three in the morning."

Sumire rolled her eyes. "You know I love you, honey."

"So, who did have you here?" Wakako wanted to know.

He gestured at Ruka who was having fun being trampled by a lion. "I don't even know why he's my best friend."

"Friends don't count," Sumire remarked and patted his head, then looked around. "You _do _know that even without doing anything, girls are ogling at you more than the show itself?"

He smirked.

"He's the main attraction here, didn't you know?" Mochu sniggered, stepping aside while Ruka led a lion family through blazing ring of fires. "Sadly, though, he only agreed to a twenty-minute show per day."

"Then this must be our lucky day," Sumire said. "Oh, Natsume," she cooed in an annoying voice, "Please go out with me!"

Wakako laughed and joined in. "Let's get married Natsume, and you will never remember another woman's name again!"

Mochu raised his eyebrows at Nina who was trying hard to keep her laughter within herself. "You don't think Natsume Hyuuga's the hottest fire-breather who ever walked the planet? Ouch. Hey, Natsume, no firing the ringmaster! Ow! I can get you demoted for this! Wait, no, turn it off, turn it off! Sheesh. You're really hot-headed, aren't you? Alright, stop the glare, I'm going. See you ladies."

Sumire tortured Natsume some more when Mochu came back to entertain the crowd. "You sure you don't want my offer to elope right now?"

"Go away, Sumire," Natsume rolled his eyes. "I'm doing my job."

"And you're doing very well at it, too." Wakako did not relent. "Now, would you mind taking off your shirt?"

"I'm serious, I'm burning your hairs. If I don't get fifty customers in fifteen minutes, Yuu wouldn't let me go until animal taming is done. Ruka's having too much fun; he'd probably stay here until the end of the festival."

"No need to worry," Sumire said, looking around. "We sold about twenty tickets in the last few minutes before we got off. You wouldn't need to be eye-candy for so much."

"So, can we keep you?" Wakako asked eagerly.

"Hey, Yuu!" Natsume suddenly gestured over the class president, who was walking around with a clipboard tucked under his arm. "Would you mind escorting these nosy fans of mine outside? They're disturbing my job."

"We're going, we're going," Sumire muttered. "God, you're a horrendous piece of work, aren't you?"

"You know you love him!" Yuu chuckled, calling after them as they exited the tent, just as many girls sighed at the finally full sight of Natsume Hyuuga.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Northern Woods**_

Tsubasa was being served coffee by Mr. Bear when a knock sounded on the cabin door. Suddenly wary, he stood up and allowed the visitor to enter.

"Cole," he nodded in greeting, and then led him to sit down on the chairs while Mr. Bear mixed up another cup.

"I saw Ms. Imai's Alice exhibit," the man said, taking his time.

"I saw you too," Tsubasa mumbled.

"So you've witnessed her exhibit as well."

"Yes."

"And you, of course, kept a close eye on the Crow?"

"Naturally."

"Are you going to tell me her reaction to that?"

"Completely neutral. You know Nina. She rarely reacts in the first place."

The man grew silent after that. He gestured at the bear to go outside, and out of respect for an elder and superior, the bear trotted out deeper into the forest, probably to search for sturdier logs. That was when Cole turned to Tsubasa, who was mindlessly stirring the contents of his cup.

And then he released his second Alice.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Grounds**_

"How much did we earn today?" Ruka asked, approaching Yuu who was counting the money.

The class president seemed pleased when he put them down. "Let's just say it's enough to buy six of Hotaru's current invention."

Ruka whistled. "Wow. That big?"

"We're rich!" Koko and Kitsuneme exclaimed.

"We're not keeping the money, guys," Yuu rolled his eyes. "We're setting it aside until we've got some use for it. Two more days of this and we're treating ourselves to Central Town first, of course."

Noticing that Natsume was not really eager about their earnings, Ruka detached himself from the rest and walked alongside his friend to nowhere in particular. "I bet you had fun."

He scowled. "Remind me again why you are my best friend?"

"We just are," Ruka grinned, hands on his head. "It was a great twenty minutes though."

"I'm not even supposed to be part of the festival."

"_Correction_!" Ruka said. "Your Mixed Class doesn't participate in the festival. Your class, however, does. Now be a good friend and tell me I did well."

Natsume shook his head. "You did well, Ruka-_pyon_."

Ruka laughed. "I can't believe you said that! If I tell Mikan she'd—" Remembering, Ruka sobered up and stopped himself.

They sat on the grass near the woods, where they had a good view of most of the students packing up.

"She was something, wasn't she?" Ruka said later on. He didn't need to elaborate and knew Natsume would catch up.

"Hn."

"Completely unforgettable."

"Hn."

"Legendary."

"You sound sappy. Stop it."

Ruka chuckled and shook his head before laying on the grass. "You can't deny it, though. You miss her."

"Stop talking, Ruka."

He didn't bother to mask his grin. "Whatever you say, Natsume."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Middle School Dormitory**_

Hotaru skipped dinner and spent the rest of the night in her room, staring out the window and on the stars.

She remembered the memory clear as day, she didn't need her project to replay it for her. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, however (she wouldn't do that in front of her clients or else she wouldn't come out of it alive), she actually felt quite happy to make other people see her. A girl who was taken from her parents at the age of ten found comfort in the friends she made in the Academy, led by her best friend who held on joy as a vital part of her life.

_The Happiness Project_, she thought.

They found Hotaru Imai's strength and weakness.

But they couldn't do anything about it anyway.

Mikan Sakura was dead.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Restricted Building**_

"_Z."_

"Reporting."

"_Proceed."_

"The mission to make the girl remember is on action."

"_Results?"_

"Fairly good. I'm hoping that by the end of the festival, she would."

"_Festival?"_

"The Alice Festival."

"_Ensue with the progress. A group will be sent by the third day and will commence mission by order."_

"The password?"

"_The usual."_

"Lovely."

The man on the other line hung up and Cole leaned against his chair, tapping his fingers with a sly smile twitching on his face.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

Hurray for me for being the number one writer in GAFFN who can put Natsume under the OOC section without being mortified of myself. Yes, I know, you are free to send balls of fires at me. But you have to say… Natsume's quite hot to be the fire-breather, he wouldn't even need to perform.

The scene (Hotaru's memory) was from Gakuen Alice (anime).

I'm also advertising _May Madness, _a little something created by Romantically Loveless, My Hopeless Romantic, Infiograpefruit and Heartbroken Confession. I quote,

_Write what you feel, what you dream and what you wish, but write well._

_We want to restore GAFFN to what it was: a thriving mess of awesome stories with the great characters from Gakuen Alice twisted in a way that is unique to you, the different writers of FFN. Emphasis on the 'unique to you' part. We'd rather not be blamed for causing a riot of petty writers, etc etc, so bring your A-game and participate for the sake of the GA fandom and we'll join you.__  
_  
_Be fearless. Go mad._

Unquote. :)


	7. The Cold Secret

**Chapter 7: **_**The Cold Secret**_

* * *

_**Dedicated to **_xDevilishAngelx.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Eastern Woods**_

"Ow, ow, ow," Jun whined, his hands pinned and twisted to his back by Nina. "I swear I know nothing! I know nothing!"

Rue laughed. "What a wuss."

Nina finally let him go with a huff. "I'm still not convinced."

"Then start being," Jun mumbled, rubbing his hands. "Seriously, that hurt. It _seriously _hurt."

"You sound like a girl," Nina rolled her eyes. "No, scratch that. If I were twisting and pinning Rue's hands, she wouldn't have held back and threw me around like the fulsome one she is. What are you, some merciful monk?"

"It's not funny," Jun scowled. "I don't hit girls."

"U-huh, sure you don't." Nina knew all to well from most of their missions together that Jun had fun torturing some of the female psychopaths who went on their way.

"I'm serious, though," he went on gravely. "I don't know anything. Yesterday morning, I saw Akira and Shizuka with Tsubasa and they looked quite serious, but they haven't told us anything at all."

"Where were you yesterday?"

"Where were _you_?" Rue threw back. "Did you spend all day with your class?"

"Sumire and Wakako wouldn't let me go."

"Did you know how bored Rue and I were?" Jun complained. "She's no challenge."

"Quiet, lover boy," Rue snapped her finger at him, giving him a smug look. "I threw you around more than three times."

"And I got you four."

"Yes, you got me down _on_ round four."

Nina sniggered. Then, she noticed that the sun was beginning to fully rise. "I could stay around, if you'd like. I'm not much help around the circus, and I've no part on it the whole day." Sumire and Wakako had inside jobs and she was not given gate duty. It wasn't like she had any help at her. She had no special skills or an amusing Alice to use. The class was alright with that, which she was immensely thankful.

Jun grinned, suddenly hyped up. "I bet I can take you down in five."

They both went on a fighting stance and Rue rolled her eyes. "Twenty rabbits says Jun's waving the white flag first."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

Nina gave an inward cheer. Tsubasa had just passed by and said that yes, they were allowed to stroll around during the Festival. To say they were elated was an understatement. The Dangerous Ability Class was never allowed to participate during the Alice Festivals, and Nina was never allowed out during it at all. Her friends kept her company because no teachers taught that day, except Mr. Jinno. For some reason, he was always fooled (or perhaps blackmailed, but she, Nina, tries not to think of it that way) to let the cunning teenagers to stay while he gives Nina a three-hour Math lesson.

"So, where are we going first?" Nina asked, excited. Strolling with Sumire and Wakako were fun, but they had seen everything so she didn't want to drag them around. Rue and Jun, however, were almost as new to it as she was, and as they scrambled around the exhibits with ticklish apple candies, Nina couldn't decide where to go to start.

"Jun and I have a Somatic friend who wants us to pass by if we had the chance," Rue said, twirling her apple candy so it would ease up the giggling. "Mind if we go by? She bakes."

"Ooh, baked goodies," Nina practically drooled. "What are you slacking around for? Come on!"

Laughing, Rue led them to a stall '-fied' by glitters, ribbons, pink and white. Singing chocolate bars with baritone and tenor voices greeted them. Gingerbread people danced to the songs hummed by voice-changing gums while candy sticks spelled welcomes.

Nina held her hand for one of the dancing gingerbread, and one did jump on her extended palm and she put it on her mouth. Before she could munch, however, she felt it trashing inside her mouth, so she spit it out.

Jun chuckled at her. She scowled.

"Those aren't for eating," a female voice tinkled. "They're the Pinocchios, to say. All they do is dance around and make fun of people." Her light playful hair was tied messily to the top with smudges of chocolate and strawberry and dough. "Suki," she introduced herself with a smile to Nina. "I'd shake your hand but I'm pretty sticky at the moment. I just pulled out a tangerine cake, would you like some?"

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

Hands heaped with chortling sweets, the three were making their way to the Latent exhibits. Anna, who had gotten a break from the circus, was meeting one of her seniors who graduated, Mikuru, and was also coincidentally in the same stall they went in. Anna and Mikuru had a little fun and did an all-out friendly cooking competition, to which Anna won because Nina said her soufflé had more chocolate in it. Nina remembered Jun rolling his eyes at her, while Mikuru laughed it off and said she was losing the upside of her Alice.

In reality, the reason Nina had spurted Anna's name was because for some reason, it was vaguely familiar: the softness of the sweet, the way the chocolate rolled on her tongue and the white powder (as she called it, no matter how many times Anna corrected her that it was confectioner's) on her lips. There was something about Anna's cooking, she realized, but she couldn't place it. Maybe it was of a mother on a very distant time who liked cooking for her, she reasoned out. Maybe she was starting to recollect her memories, she thought hopefully.

She was nudged from reverie by a grinning Jun. He gestured at the building made into a haunted house. "Think you're brave enough?"

"What, you chicken?" Nina raised a brow.

With a nod, they both dashed inside, ignoring the eager line and the dumbstruck entrance guards. Sighing, Rue pulled out her wallet and paid for three.

Five minutes later, Nina didn't know why she ever considered the haunted house.

Going in this thing with Jun was like dragging a tourist. An _annoying_ tourist. He kept pointing at everything he saw and then would laugh in those random times that scared Nina and Rue more out of surprise than the ghostly stuff in store for them in the attraction.

"Check this out," Jun laughed, holding out something bloody Nina couldn't see well, "It's a hand."

"What, you expect me to be scared?"

Jun looked crestfallen. "Seventy percent of myself did. Hey," he suddenly addressed the long dark hallway, "The kid holding the remote, you should work on making this thing more realistic next time."

The three vaguely heard a choke. They walked a little farther behind in the dark, believing they're on the right path basically because they aren't hitting any walls. They came into a stop when a glowing lady with her back hunched stopped in front of them.

"Oh look, there's an old lady on the hallway," Nina said stoically.

Jun snorted. "Of course there is, it's a haunted house."

Rue laughed at their reactions. "You know, these guys are really trying hard to scare us off. The least we could do is act like it does. Otherwise they'll feel bad."

"You already said that," Nina pointed out.

Rue frowned. "No, I didn't."

"Yeah, you did," Nina insisted. "I said, there's an old lady on the hallway, and Jun said, 'Of course there is, it's a haunted house,' which I should also note he's said before—"

Jun held up his hand, "Wait, that's the first time I said that—"

"You know, I could _swear _you mentioned it earlier—"

"How could I mention it earlier when it's the first time we've seen the old lady—"

"Well how else would I hear it _again _if it's the first—"

"Could someone carry me on their back to over there?" The illusion of a lady asked in her raspy voice.

"Look, lady, no one's carrying you, so stop asking again and again—"

"Nina," Rue said quickly, "It's the first time she asked."

Nina frowned. "Of course not."

"It is."

But before they could work on that thought, the old lady started running after them.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Latent Ability Attractions**_

Jun was lying on the ground with his arms behind his head. Nina leaned against the wall. Neither of them knew where Rue was.

"I am never getting on another of this again." Nina muttered.

"I told you we should've wrecked the place," Jun grumbled. It was his suggestion to destroy the place so they could get out, and although the idea was becoming more and more appealing, Nina didn't want to stomp all over other people's hard work.

"Maybe Rue will find us," Nina suggested.

Jun snorted. "Fat chance. Rue's probably waiting outside." There was a pause, and Jun said, "Maybe I should use my Alice."

"No," Nina said sternly. "You're not going to waste your lifeline just because we're stuck in a haunted house."

"But I'm hungry!" Jun retorted.

Nina rolled her eyes. "You already ate before we went here, remember?"

Jun thought of it for a moment. "I got hungry since then."

"Of course you did." Nina yawned and covered her mouth.

There was a short pause. "Have you ever thought what things would be like if we weren't Alices?"

Nina shrugged. "Not really. I can't remember anything before the Academy. So I basically thought my whole life's these past years."

"You haven't given it much thought, then?"

"No, I _never _thought about it. There's a difference."

Jun's brows scowled in thought. "Then what about if we weren't Dangerous?"

"Is that with a capital D?"

A small sardonic smile formed on Jun's lips. "Does it matter? We are either."

"You know, Jun, I vaguely remember someone telling me how we're only dangers to ourselves."

"Oh, that's supposed to make me feel better?" Jun leaned back and sighed. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like going back in time and messing things up. I'd put my younger self back where the Academy couldn't find me. I've gone back too many times to know where they wouldn't."

Nina bit back a grin. "Oh, but you _have_."

"Yeah, but I never tried. Funny, I'd let that _one thing_ stop me, yet the fact that I'm going to mess up more lives aside from mine never crossed my mind."

"And what's that?"

At that moment, all the lights started blinking on. A door on the rooftop was pulled open, and a blonde eight grader waved at Jun and Nina. "This way," the kid yelled, and sent a rope ladder dangling down.

Jun pushed himself up and dusted himself off. He held his hand to Nina, and said simply, "I met people."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Clock Tower**_

It was the last day of the Festival. Nina couldn't have imagined anything better than what she had just been through in the last days. All this time, she believed that Alices were used to defend and protect, to fight and battle. She couldn't even think of doing something fun with her Alice. For as long as she could remember (which was a very short time), she had been surrounded with Alices that hurt, maim and kill.

Touring the Abilities' tents and performances, she could point out all the Alices that may seem useless but are actually good for their missions. Somatics who can extend their body parts are ideal for spying. Technicals, too, can assist, among other obvious reasons. Latents could easily work magic with their abilities. Even the Special Ability class can earn their group some pride just as the others. The Dangerous Ability students were simply singled out because theirs are initially viewed as violent Alices.

Living in an environment away from that was calming. It was good to be away from all the bloodshed, even for just a short period of time. Nina could get through a whole year if it meant she could still see hope in simple events like these.

At that moment, she was atop the clock tower, perched on one of the sills, well-hidden unless if you look carefully. She was small, and could perfectly mold herself against the bricks, barely showing her arms and legs.

"Hey."

She only knew one other person who would dare and could be as well-hidden as she is.

"Hey, Rue," she answered, not bothering to look at her friend. "I was just thinking about us."

"Us?"

"Yeah," Nina said simply. "Or maybe just me. All of you knew about this Festival before I did. I was barely allowed to see other people unless I'm going to kill them."

"You should really stop living so negatively, Nina," Rue said.

"It's not like I have a choice," the other muttered. Below her, students were setting up for the last day of the festival. By nighttime, lanterns were going to be lit up, and music would be played. She knew about that stuff. But she's never seen it happen before her eyes. "So what do people do on the last day, exactly?"

"Basically it's one big party, with dancing and music and love."

"Love?" Nina repeated skeptically.

A ghost of a smile was on Rue's face. "Yep. Love. Sappy romance and all that."

Nina tried not to laugh. "Why's that?"

"On the last day is the Festival dance," Rue explained. "So it kind of becomes more like a ball than your regular party. According to tradition, whoever you dance with on the last dance will be with you forever."

"But that's pathetic," Nina blurted out.

Rue scowled. "Stop that. I actually think it's romantic. And it's fun to watch people go around, dancing with red faces like intoxicated pairs."

"How could one dance dictate who you're going to be with?"

"You know, you really shouldn't mess up with tradition. It's going to give you a nasty bite."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because it bit me. Hard."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

"It's _horrible_," Nina complained over the table, "Why do we all have to dress alike? And what's up with the music?"

Rue threw her an amused smile. "I thought you liked the Alice Festival?"

"Yeah, she did," Jun chortled, "But that was before you forced her in that dress."

"Why do you hate it so badly?" Shizuka wondered. "To be honest, it looks really nice against your hair."

Nina scowled. "It's yellow, it's itchy and we have _goddamn wings_."

Jun cleared his throat. "I think you're the prettiest fairy—"

Nina tossed a small cherry at him, "Shut up."

Akira was drumming his fingers against the table. He had been silently watching the whole time. "I like you now."

"Sorry, Frost," Nina stage-whispered, "But you're not really my type."

"Oh, so you have a type now?" Shizuka grinned. "And I thought you hated people."

Nina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I like guys who don't talk."

"I meant that you're different," Akira said. "You weren't this open before. You were warm with us, but I've rarely seen you be so comfortable with other people."

"That's because 'other people' then only believed I existed to kill." Nina emptied the contents of her fruit punch. She gestured at the live band and the swaying couples dancing around the beacon's vicinity. "So basically, this is what we're going to do all night?"

"Nina," Yuu came up to their table, with Koko and Sumire tagging along, "Let's dance?"

Nina blinked. What was that thing Rue said? Was it the first dance or—

Rue kicked her from under the table and nudged her head towards Yuu's hand.

She shrugged. "Sure."

"I don't know about you guys but I'm not gluing myself on that chair all night," Akira declared, offering his hand to Shizuka who gracefully stood up.

"Might as well leave," Rue muttered, "Come on, lover boy," she pulled Jun who was saying something about cursed dances.

"I hope it's not unbecoming," Yuu smiled as he led Nina to the middle. "But I always make it a point to dance with our female classmates."

Nina shook her head. "No, the whole thing's just new to me, that's all."

"You've _never _been to the Festivals before?" Koko asked aloud from behind them.

"Do you ever listen?" Sumire scolded him. "She's said that over a week now!"

"Sorry," Koko smiled sheepishly, "I often put my controlling device when something big's happening."

"She wasn't thinking it, she was telling us about it," Sumire groaned. "Really, now."

Nina watched the two argue over as they danced farther. "They go well together, don't they?"

"Chemistry, and all that," Yuu said. He, too, was watching his two friends. "They've got the best friendship, if you count Natsume and Ruka out."

"But Ruka has Hotaru, doesn't he?"

"What?" Yuu asked in surprise.

"Ruka and Hotaru," Nina said simply. "Ruka likes her."

"How are you sure of that?" Yuu wanted to know.

"I just am."

"Ruka and Hotaru," Yuu repeated in a mutter. "I've never given that much thought."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

"Natsume," Ruka called. He could see his friend's unmoving stature against the trunk. "Don't you want to join in?"

Ruka knew Natsume's answers. It was always a silent stare, or a blunt no. He never wanted to go to the Festival at all. Only once, but that was a long time—back when Mikan Sakura was still alive. It broke Ruka's heart to see a friend die, but Natsume liked her. He was always so drawn to the girl, hooked from the beginning. Ruka had a crush, but that was all there is to it. For one thing, Ruka wasn't the one who climbed on Mikan's ledge and broke into her room the night she died.

Natsume's eyes were glued on the skies. "Ruka."

Ruka knew he was going to say something that bothered him. It wasn't odd for Natsume to voice out whatever that may be, but he wasn't usually so upfront and abrupt about it. He sat beside Natsume. "What's up?"

"Remember that kid from my class? Ibaragi?"

"She's the one with dark hair and the Ice Alice, right?" Ruka wondered. Usagi warmed with his petting.

"They took her in a few weeks back. She was sent to a mission in Africa and came back rather badly."

"That's not odd," Ruka said. He could barely count the number of times Natsume came back from missions covered in blood.

"I've always thought she was somehow related to Hinata. When you look closely, they have the same features. They even have the same mole under their chin." He must have felt Ruka eye him weirdly. "I've seen them bruised up a couple of times. We would end up in the infirmary together."

That wasn't what he wanted to say, Ruka figured. "Go on."

"When Hinata was admitted after one of his missions, I was watching Ibaragi from a one-way mirror. The nurses were looking for Imai, saying that Akira Hinata was severely injured. Everyone's attention was suddenly on him, even Ibaragi. I saw her stand upright from her bed, and she was pretty bad herself." Natsume paused for a moment. "When Ibaragi was admitted, Hinata couldn't even care less."

"Maybe she's got some crush on him?"

Natsume shook his head. "I know the face of someone in love, kid—"

"Really now—"

"Shut up," Natsume said tersely. "I read it from her eyes. She wasn't concerned for him that way."

"You make messy assumptions for someone like you, Natsume," Ruka said. "You can't just say they're related with that proof."

"I'm not. I'm wondering." Natsume leaned back. "Persona's taken quite well with Nobara, and you know what he did to Aoi."

"Yeah, but he can't be kidnapping everyone's kid sister," Ruka said. "Look, lay off the serious talk tonight. We've done pretty well with the circus and it's been one of the most interesting Festivals. Let's leave this for tomorrow."

Natsume didn't say anything, but he stood up and dusted his uniform. Ruka did the same, and they both walked towards the party.

* * *

_**Alice Festival, Northern Woods**_

Jun scratched his head as he looked about. Ms. Misaki had run into him a few moments while he was walking around. She was frantically searching for Tsubasa. He had walked through the faculty tables, under the buffet table and on the bushes just in case Tsubasa decided he didn't want to share his drink. Since they were nearer to the Northern Woods, Jun decided to check the forest first.

Not too long after, Tsubasa was ducking from the branches and swaying leaves.

"Where've you been?" Jun asked.

"I—" Tsubasa blinked, "That's a pretty good question. I was looking for you, actually."

"Oh," Jun nodded, though he wasn't sure. He didn't tell Tsubasa about that, though. Tsubasa never spaced out, and Tsubasa knew he was going to be at the Festival. Why would he look for him in the woods when he was the one who specifically told Jun and the others to blend in at the dance?

He was probably enthralled by a momentary spell of an Alice aftermath, Jun figured, but whoever Alice did that to Tsubasa could still be around. "Ms. Misaki asked me to look for you," the younger one said instead. "She mentioned it was something important."

As soon as Tsubasa was out of sight and had walked off, Jun slyly went to the direction where his mentor came from.

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

"Who do you like?" Nina wondered aloud when Rue sat next to her. Nina had been offered danced with the rest of the class. They were all very funny and kind. It was like she's known them just as well as she does her friends.

"Pardon me?"

"When we were at the clock tower," Nina explained, "You said something about this whole tradition biting you back."

"I wasn't referring to the dance," Rue said, continuing vaguely, "It was something I thought I ought to say."

* * *

_**Alice Academy, Mr. Bear's Cottage**_

Jun's brows met into a scowl. There was light coming from Mr. Bear's Cottage. That wasn't something out of the ordinary since the bear _does _live like a human being, and the smoke coming from the chimney wasn't odd too, since he always entertains guests (that he likes, for the most part). The thing that bothered Jun was the fact that Tsubasa had already gone out, meaning there was probably some other person inside the cottage. He was pretty sure Mr. Bear couldn't drink tea.

The thing never really liked him that much. It was created by some alumnus Tsubasa graduated with. No matter how many times Jun tried to be in civil terms with the bear, it always gets bad. He wondered what Mr. Bear would do if he found out that Jun's around his home— alone.

He was careful not to make too much sound. Whoever's in the cottage is probably someone Tsubasa and Mr. Bear trusted, otherwise they wouldn't be there in the first place. But that person may have done something to Tsubasa, and that's why Jun has to make sure he doesn't get found out.

Leaning close but out of the windows, he tried to look for the small wood hole Nina found one time. It was too small for a person to be seen, but big enough for sound to come from. He could make out Mr. Bear washing the glasses, and the water in the pot boiling. He could hear Mr. Bear preparing the tea, which naturally would follow a…

"Thank you," Jun heard a familiar voice go.

_Cole_.

He barely knows the man personally, but was aware that Tsubasa reports to him regularly regarding the Dangerous Ability Class. He has the Telepathy Alice, one that he controls very well. His sixth sense is fairly normal, which is why Jun had often wondered why he ended up supervising their class.

Jun knew he wasn't going to find anything at this rate, so he decided he needed to take a risk: he was going to use his Alice.

He had seen Tsubasa approximately seven minutes ago. He would have to go back further, perhaps fifteen, or less. He geared himself up, because the precarious thing about this was that other people could have been around the vicinity when Tsubasa was inside the cottage with Cole. He went back to twelve minutes. He heard no one around. That was a good sign.

"Andou, I've been worried about the Black Cat," Cole was saying, "I can hear the assumptions running through his mind right at this very moment."

_He could hear that far, _Jun wondered, knowing that the Hyuuga kid was somewhere about fifty meters from the cottage. _Then he could probably hear me, _he worriedly thought.

"You must be pretty curious," Tsubasa said. "You can only read minds you choose to read. You can't have had chanced on him."

"He had been keeping close with our little Ice Princess. I noticed him eyeing her in the infirmary."

_Ice Princess_, Jun realized, was Nobara Ibaragi.

"What about it?"

"Right now, he's supposing that the Princess is Frost's sister." There was the tinkle of teacup clinking against silver. "His reasoning is completely precast from ambiguous assumptions, but we can't have him digging deeper into this. If Frost finds out, you know which sibling is going to suffer."

_Assumptions?_

"Andou, look into my eyes." There was a small crash. "I want you to eliminate the Black Cat."

"Yes, sir."

_What? _Jun thought wildly.

"He poses as a threat to our plans. Once word comes out that Frost and the Princessare related, we will lose Frost. Losing Frost is losing Crow. We don't want to lose Crow, do we?"

"No, sir."

Jun inched closer to the hole. There was something happening to Tsubasa. He knew this kind of reaction—it was similar to Shizuka's Voice Pheromone Alice. Could it be that Cole has a second Alice?

"Tonight, our plans will commence. Has the Crow been recollecting her memories?"

"Yes, sir."

"She will remember a vital point of her life shortly. You will have to stop this. To activate our plan, the password would be someone's death. Have you found out who we are to sacrifice?"

* * *

_**Alice Academy, School Grounds**_

"Where have you been?" Akira asked as soon Jun took a seat beside him. The latter was clad in sweat, and a leaf was caught on his dark locks. Shizuka swayed it off.

"Listen," Jun muttered, "I need to tell you guys something but you have to look calm and just… just don't freak out."

Akira noted the seriousness in Jun's voice. "What happened?"

"I met Tsubasa when he was on the way from the woods, and something weird was afoot so I traced his tracks and went back. Cole did something to Tsubasa, so in the meantime, we can't trust either of them. Tsubasa is forced to report to Cole by some Alice, and then he makes him do these bad jobs for him. First on the list is harming Hyuuga."

"What's up with the kid?" Shizuka asked.

"He found out a secret. Remember how Ibaragi was sent to Africa in that mission? That was on purpose. It was a form of sick torture Cole did."

"Why would he do that to Nobara?" Akira scowled. "She's barely an asset. She's as normal as any Alice, as far as we go in the Class."

"Because Hyuuga found out you're his sister."

"Pardon me? I'm _Hyuuga's sister?_"

"No, smart guy, I meant Ibaragi. Your sister is Ibaragi. You don't know or you forgot, I don't really have an idea, but bottom line is, once word comes out, she gets into big trouble."

"But why her? I'm the one who's—"

"It was something about Nina."

Akira scowled. "It's always about Nina."

"Akira," Jun said evenly, "What about Nina?"

Akira sighed. "Look, I don't have an idea either."

"You're lying."

"He's not," Shizuka defended, yet her voice remained flat and even. She suddenly sounded tired. "Tsubasa had been warning us. He said something was wrong. He told us that we shouldn't trust him, even. He told us we had to protect Nina."

"What, am I not good enough to be part of the rescue team?"

"You know it's not about that," Shizuka said. "You and Rue are the closest to Nina, and you're most susceptible to whatever may happen, whatever it may be. Akira and I are much harder to get a hold of."

"We caught Tsubasa in one of his blank moments before, so I confronted him."

"Tsubasa even asked me to use my Alice against him, but whatever's been done to him was stronger."

"Which makes sense now," Akira said, "Considering it's Cole. He must've done something to Tsubasa to ward off suspicion."

"It's because Tsubasa doesn't know about the Alice," Jun concluded. "If he did, he wouldn't risk it."

"We have to stay calm," Akira said. "Shizuka, keep your eye on Tsubasa. If our guesses are correct, Cole could only command directly, so Tsubasa is the only person who can do the job. Jun, watch Nina. Make sure she never goes off alone, or with anyone for that matter. I'll look over Hyuuga. Have you told us everything?" He added to Jun.

"Not really," Jun admitted, "But it's not too important right now."

"What do you mean it's not important?"

"I've got a lady to dance with."

"What—seriously, Jun? That's more important? Look, just tell us everything."

"Listen, Akira," Jun said quietly, "Like you said, we stay calm and go on. Besides, it was just some password he mentioned. I doubt you're going to find much use for that." Before Akira could pull him and push for more, Jun had already swayed towards a corner table, where Nina and Rue sat. He steadily walked over. Rue was eyeing him carefully, and for a moment they seemed to be having some sort of psychic form of communication. Without missing a beat, as Mr. Narumi announced over the microphone that it was the last dance, Jun offered his hand towards Nina.

"Hey, Jun," Nina said cheerfully, "What's up?"

Jun didn't say anything; instead, he gestured on his hand. Mr. Narumi's words suddenly came onto her.

"But— I—"

"Just take his hand," Rue rolled her eyes, "Seriously, the guy's been badgering me to help him."

Nina was speechless. She couldn't find the right words as Jun helped her up. She felt her heart racing as they sought for a comfortable place with every couple suddenly on the floor. She was aware of her cheeks reddening as Jun placed his hands on her waist. He had done this more than once. In fact, they have been much closer than this before—but it was never this intimate, this personal. It was always strictly business, and loyalty, and friendship. It was common on trainings, on missions. But this was a first.

How was Nina supposed to act? She had never really considered anyone asking for her hand on the last dance. It still sounded like a pathetic tradition, but obviously, it might not be to Jun. She wasn't stupid. She was never daft about personals and relationships, but she just never thought any of it happening to her. Tsubasa's words were always crystal: she only had to worry about her missions. Plus, she's never had much contact with other people in the three years she remembers. It was simply out of her league.

But there must be a reason why her heart's beating like drums on a ritual ceremony.

"It's weird how you're so quiet," Jun commented, his eyes boring deeply over Nina's.

She did not avoid his gaze. "I was wondering what this dance means to you."

"Didn't Rue give you a pep talk?" He said with a chuckle.

"I'd rather hear it from you."

Jun quirked a brow. "You're pretty deadest." When she didn't give a reply, he went on, "I don't really know what to say, except this dance is anything but friendly."

"Then how come I've never realized anything before?"

"Because I never showed it," Jun said simply. "Rue warned me beforehand. We know you don't take lightly about this. I doubt you even know anything about this. It must suck not knowing and not being familiar with this—the feelings, overbearing emotions, all that jazz."

_It does, _Nina admitted to herself.

"Akira wasn't that hard on me either, but he didn't entirely approve. He thinks it gets on the way of our jobs."

"But Akira and Shizuka—"

"Are strictly friends," Jun said firmly. Nina knew that. She was just looking for excuses, for another route. "They never meant for it to go far, and they never tried."

The music was slow, melodious, calming. It was the kind of music that bore in Europe, the kind that made you fall in love with the place, the scene, the person. From the corner of her eye, she could spot Koko and Sumire. They were laughing. Wakako had told her that they've always danced together on the last dance—initially, out of friendship.

_Yet he's made it clear that this is anything but, _Nina told herself.

"It'd be nice if you said something," Jun gave a goofy grin. "Otherwise I may look like I'm dancing with a mop."

She hit him lightly on the head.

"So what are you trying to say, exactly?"

"That I deserve to at least be talked to—"

"I didn't mean _that_, doofus," Nina laughed despite herself, despite the strong emotions she could feel inside her. It had always been so easy being around Jun. She had never known how to differentiate friendly to intimate relationships as she had been lacking in that area of the emotional quotient. But could it be that the reason why she was always so easy around Jun was because of that? "I meant about this not being just 'friends'."

Jun's lips formed a smile. His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "I meant just as I said. I like you, a lot. I'm a dweeb for not telling you sooner, but better late than never."

"But I—"

"I'm not really asking you to like me back, if that's what you're so scared about," Jun said. "I just wanted to tell you just that. If you don't, we're cool. It's not like I'm going to die if you didn't like me back," he added wryly.

She lightly shoved him. She hated it when he made those kinds of jokes.

"Sorry," he said after a while.

Nina looked up. "Was that a sincere apology I heard?"

Jun shrugged.

"I'm not really sure how we're supposed to be after this," Nina admitted. She could sense that the music was about to stop. She and Jun had unknowingly gone closer. She could hear his steady breathing, and she was about two inches from his chest. She closed the proximity and laid there. She had done this before; on times, she would fall asleep, and Jun was the best pillow because he would usually end up sleeping as well. "But if push comes to shove… you're the best guy I've had, Jun."

"I'll take that," he chuckled. "Do me a favor, though."

"What's that?"

"When we're out, or apart... or whatever happens, really, because we never really know… you won't forget about me. Or us."

Nina gave him an easy smile. "I'd have to die first if I'm going to forget you guys." She was used to weird requests from Jun. Whenever he goes on some trip from the past or the future, he always says something. He never reveals enough to be found out, or to tip the scale. He gives pretty vague warnings and instructions, and they never bother to crack the unclear ones. They just trust him.

Nina realized that. She trusted Jun. The music had ended, and almost everyone had parted, she and him included. But they didn't go back to the table. They stayed where they are.

She sensed it. She didn't know how, but she knew it was going to come. Almost as if on cue, Jun leant towards her, and softly, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Be good, kid."

She shook her head. She was about to tease him back, to joke around like they always do, but then the beacon exploded.

Nina had never been thrown out of surprise. She prided herself for always being so geared. She could sense trouble five miles down. She was trained to always be on her feet, to be ready. But she had let her guard down.

She hefted herself from the ground. Around her, people we're doing the same. The teachers were already sending the younger students back to their dorms. She looked around for people she knew. Where was Jun?

She spotted him not too far from the beacon. He must've sensed the explosion, and thrown Nina out of the way, but he ended up on the side. There was blood trickling down his forehead. A piece of cold metal from the beacon laid next to him. He was probably hit forcefully.

"Jun," Nina approached him frantically. She carefully reached for his arm, not wanting to move him in case of any reaction. "Jun, wake up. Dude, you have to snap back."

Jun's eyes fluttered. "Nina..."

"Is anything broken? Can you move? Come on, I'll take you to—"

"You have to—"

"Go? Damn you for suggesting that."

"Nina—"

"Move!" A strong voice commanded, and Nina was thrown away from Jun. She almost hit the table but she had gracefully landed on her toes.

"Don't hurt her!" A woman's voice yelled angrily.

Nina's vision grew blurred for the moment. Something was happening. She could hear voices echoing. But they weren't the same. This had happened before. But where? Probably one of the initial missions she had…

"Where's the kid?" Another unknown asked.

"He's still here," the first voice said. Five figures had approached Jun's body. Half of their faces were covered in a black mask.

"Stand guard," another woman's voice said. Two figures backed out. The three went for Jun. It was all going too fast. They closed up on him, and he was lifted above their heads. People began to scream. Jun's body limped over. And then he, too, screamed.

"What are you—!" Nina started to say, but one of the guards pinned her to the ground, until she was completely covered in Earth. Vines suddenly dealt with her limbs.

"You're not going anywhere, missy," the guard said.

Nina frantically searched. People were still running around. Where was Akira, Shizuka and Rue?

"Akira!" Shizuka frantically approached him. Her face was in distress; she had a big bruise forming on her forehead, and a busted lip. "I had to knock Tsubasa out before tying him up against a pole. He snapped a little but then when he slowly came about, he was back, but he asked me to tie him up well until we sort things out."

Rue came running after. "Hyuuga and Nogi are together with Nina's class. Some of the teachers gathered most of the students in the elementary school dorm. What's happened?"

Akira gestured at the beacon. "I still hear voices around there. After the explosion, most were thrown from a distance of twenty feet, more or less. But I couldn't find Nina, or Jun."

"They should be together," Rue said. "They were until the dance ended. But they were closest to the beacon so I couldn't be sure."

They got close to the beacon. Five people were huddled in a place. Akira was crouched on the ground, silently approaching, until—

"Ow!"

"Nina?"

"Oh my god, Akira! Help me out of here! But be quiet, they thought they knocked me out."

Nina was buried underground. Quickly, Rue and Shizuka dug her out, and pulled her in. Shizuka was intently focused on the intruders.

"What happened?"

"They have Jun," Nina said agitatedly. "They threw me off, but a woman said I wasn't to be touched, so I ended up there. Earlier, they still had Jun in the air, then one saw me and knocked me out. I woke up when I heard the rustle in the bushes."

"What are they doing with Jun?" Shizuka asked. Her eyes tried to take in the situation, but the five people were too close, they left no gap in between.

"Where are the teachers?" Nina asked. "It's uncommon that they're not—"

"Some have been knocked out," Rue said. "And then some are with the students. I passed by Ms. Misaki and she said she was going to call back-up, but that's from the other side of the school. Teachers like Jinno don't really come close to events like these so it's a far travel, but they'll be here probably in two minutes."

"Two minutes too long." Nina bit her lip.

A limp body suddenly emerged from in-between the five. They hoisted him up in the air.

"What—" Akira started to exclaim, but he was cut off by Jun's cries of pain. It echoed around, and he heard glasses crashing. It was the work of another Alice. That's what the five intruders probably are. But who are they?

And then it was quiet.

Jun had stopped screaming.

A terrible ache formed on Nina's chest. He was dropped from a height of twelve feet. People around who had finally arrived froze in their places. The teachers who finally came watched as the body landed in a soft thud. The realization left like the same sharp pain in Nina.

Jun was gone.

Then there was another yell. Nina almost thought it was hers because of how close the sound came from her. She looked around. It was Rue.

Nina's seen Rue use her Alice a lot of times before. They would go on missions together and they were usually among the same batch that trained in the same room. But this was the first time she saw Rue use her Alice outside of that.

They would say that Nina's Alice was the reason why the Dangerous Ability Class was made, but that was probably because they have never seen Rue's Alice. It wasn't as diverse as Nina's Steal, Erase and Copy Alice. It wasn't as sporadic as Akira's Ice Alice. She didn't have a risky Pheromone Alice like Shizuka, or even Jun's fun but severe Time Alice.

In fact, she had two Alices.

Having two Alices was rare, but not unheard of.

The first Alice was Nullification; now, it wasn't entirely useless. Her Nullification was, in all actuality, their best shield. Aside from being completely exceptional, it was the best defense they have. Some of their cases are not entirely of normal civilians or rich tycoons asking to be saved; they've faced fellow Alices in the past before. It wasn't something they were exactly proud of. It always meant a possible immediate death.

The dangerous one was called, well, it doesn't really have a name. The first time the Academy found Rue was when she was a kid, just like most Alices. An Academy scout detected an unnatural use of Alice in the area. It initially confused the press and the police, which was why working Alices in both fields called for 'experts'. The scout saw her hiding near the bushes. It had just rained, and droplets of water were trickling down the roof. Little Rue would put up her hands, and then the droplets would stop mid-fall. And then butterflies flew by, and she'd freeze them too. She took them by her small three-year-old hands, and they'd unfreeze, tickling her palms, so she'd giggle like a sweet little girl.

Up to today, they don't really have a name for it. At first, they called it the Time Manipulation Alice, but it was far different from Jun's. She couldn't jump from A to C; rather, she could control time itself. She could stop time. She could speed up time. She could make it slow, that you would see microseconds move on the clock. Until after a couple more years, they found out that it wasn't time that Rue controlled.

It happened when she turned eleven. She handled her first big case unattended. She was in an old storage house with gun powder, and she held up her hands to stop the man from coming up at her, but when she did, the man exploded, and soon after, the whole storage house went after him. But Rue came out unscathed.

It was that same night that they found that it was molecules that Rue could control. It developed over the years, and the reason she came out safe was because she froze the particles that were coming up at her.

And this was why Nina believed Rue had the most dangerous Alice. Nina could get rid of anyone's Alice, copy it or delete it out of them- forever. It was the supreme Alice, so to say. But she couldn't kill. Her Alice had limitations, while Rue's did not. And that was why it was so deadly, because you never know when's something going to be wrong with her Alice.

Today was apparently one of those days.

Alices were tied to emotions. Some are entirely sensitive, Rue's being one of those. When she saw Jun lying on the floor motionless, her Alice drove her to blow up the five men coming up at them. No doubt they were good Alices—one of the greatest. One man seemed to control metals because remnants of some from one of the exploded tins were snaking their way towards them. Rue's Alice was dangerous, but she had yet to control every bit of it. She was trying to contract the metal's molecules, but she ended up blowing it up, with the Alice. And then she blew up another. And another. And another. And another. And—

"Rue! Stop!"

But Rue didn't hear. She was blowing people up one by one. She was sending trees to the next forest, and it was pure chaos; Nina couldn't keep track of everything.

"What's happening?" Nina shouted over at Akira and Shizuka, the latter looking distressed. The earth started moving.

Akira eyed Rue. "She's gone haywire."

"Stop her!" Shizuka ordered frantically.

Akira's eyes were full of emotion. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"She's gone haywire. I can't save her from that. It's an internal battle."

There was another explosion, and the trees caught on fire. Even Akira couldn't keep up with the events. He sent blankets of ice over the trees, and they were immediately draped with white snow, extinguishing the growing fire, until there was none, which confused him. He looked up to where Rue was, but she wasn't there anymore. She was unconscious.

* * *

**A/N: **It's been a while, huh?


End file.
